Skip to main content

Full text of "Sanctuary meditations for priests and frequent communicants: serving as a prparation for, at the time of, and thanksgiving after receiving the Holy Eucharist"

See other formats


This is a reproduction of a library book that was digitized 
by Google as part of an ongoing effort to preserve the 
information in books and make it universally accessible. 

Google" books 

http://books.google.com 




Digitized by LjOOQle 




y - y r^jv’O &C O 



Digitized by Google 




Digitized by 




SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS 

FOR 

PRIESTS AND FREQUENT COMMUNICANTS 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




^ihil abstat. 

GULIELMUS CANONICUS GILDEA, S.T.D., 
Censor Deputatus. 



Imprimatur. 

HERBERTUS CARDINALIS VAUGHAN, 

Archiepiscopus Westmonast . 

Die 1 8 Decembris, 1899. 



Digitized by Google 




Sanctuary Meditations 



FOR 



prieoto an& frequent Communicant. 



SERVING AS A PREPARATION FOR , AT THE TIME OF , AND 
THANKSGIVING AFTER RECEIVING THE HOLY 
EUCHARIST. 



Hranslatcfc from flu (Driginai Spanish 

OF 

FATHER BALTASAR GRACIAN, 

Of the Society of Jesus (1669), 

BY 

MARIANA MONTEIRO. 



R. & T. WASHBOURNE, 

18 PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON. 

BENZIGER BROS. : NEW YORK, CINCINNATI AND CHIGAGO. 

I9OO. 



45300 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




WORKS BY MARIANA MONTEIRO. 



1. Sanctuary Meditations for Priests and Frequent Com- 

municants. From the original Spanish of Father Baltasar 
Gracian, of the Society of Jesus. 3s. 6d. 

2. Little Meditations for Holy Communion. From the 

original Spanish of Father Fray Antonio Arbiol, of the Seraphic 
Older of St. Francis, is. 

3. Christopher Columbus. Second volume in the series of 

‘ Heroes of the Cross.’ 3s. 6d. 

4. The History of Portugal. Taken exclusively from Portu- 

guese histories and records. In 4 vols., 21s. each vol. £4 4 s * 

5. Legends and Popular Tales of the Basque People. 

Edition de Luxe, 21s., 10s. 6d., 7s. 6d. Third Popular Edition, 
3s. 6d. 

6. A Hunting Expedition to the Transvaal. From the 

Portuguese. 9s. 

7. Allah Akbar (God is Great). The Conquest of Granada. 

From the Arabic description. 2s. 

8. Gathered Gems from Spanish Authors. 2s. 

9. The Monk of Yuste: The Last Days of Charles V. 

(Out of print.) 

10. The Diadem of Stars, and other Tales. From the 
Spanish. 3s. 6d. 



The Influence of Catholicism on the Sciences and on 
the Arts. (. Nearly ready.') 

The Life of St. Jerome. (In preparation.) 

Fairy and Other Tales. From the Portuguese. ( Nearly ready.) 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




BPW 

G 721* 

ipo 

MW 



THIS TRANSLATION IS 

i)tbicai*b to 

OUR BLESSED LADY, THE GREAT MOTHER 
OF GOD, 

UNDER HER GLORIOUS TITLE AND PRIVILEGE 
OF THE 

‘ HELP OF CHRISTIANS,’ 

BY THE LOWLIEST OF HER DEVOTED CHILDREN. 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




Digitized by 




PREFACE TO THE TRANSLATION. 



The author of these Meditations, Father Baltasar 
Gracian, of the Society of Jesus, was born in 
Calatayud, in the kingdom of Aragon, Spain, and 
entered the Society in 1619, at the age of sixteen 
years. He bore an illustrious name, and that he 
was a man of much erudition is evident from the 
numerous works that were published by him, and 
which, as soon as they issued from the press, ac- 
quired a high repute even amongst foreigners, who 
delighted in the majesty and elegance of the Spanish 
language. He brought out all his works under the 
assumed name of his brother Lawrence, with the 
exception of his Meditations, which bore his own 
signature ; the whole of his writings appeared simul- 
taneously in two volumes, and have been translated 
into several languages. 

He was Rector of the College of Tarragona, where 
his preaching, his deep knowledge, his subtle mind, 
great powers of observation and talents, soon ac- 
quired for him a great reputation. He died Decem- 
ber 6, 1658.* 

* Vide ‘ Bibliotheca Hispania Nova, Sive Hispaniorum Scrip- 
torum qui ab Anno MD ad MDCLXXXIV floruere Notitia,’ 
Auctore D. Nicolao Antonio Hispalensi J. C., tomus secundus, 
p. 4 (1788). 



Digitized by L.ooQle 




PREFACE TO THE TRANSLATION. 



viii 

In commencing the translation of different Spanish 
authors, I propose confining myself to such works 
as have been hitherto unknown, or scarcely known, 
in England, and therefore shall give in all future 
translations a little notice of their respective authors, 
feeling sure that they require but to be known to be 
appreciated, for although the works of a Quevedo, 
Cervantes, Lope de la Vega, Calderon de la Barca, 
Zorrilla, and a few others, are recognised as holding 
a high place of honour in English libraries, how few 
which treat on spiritual subjects (and their name is 
legion) would be found amongst them ! Yet a land 
which produced an Ignatius of Loyola, a Teresa of 
Jesus, a Dominic, a Vincent Ferrer, and others, 
whose lives, heroic deeds, or writings have, like so 
many bright constellations, illumined the whole 
world, also contains numberless others whose lives 
and writings are not less beautiful, nor less thought 
of in my own beloved land, but which in this country, 
alas ! are not even known to exist. How few indeed 
in this great kingdom have even so much as heard 
of a Prado, whose writings are so profound, an 
Arrubal, a Cienfuegos ; of a Posadas, whose works 
breathe the highest piety ; of a Pradoventura, the 
famous eloquent preacher of Madrid, and to whom 
we owe the glory of having rendered the Spanish 
language so perfect as we find it in our own days ; 
of a Tolet, of the wise theologian Valdivieso, of a 

4 Biblioth&que des Ecrivains de la C. de Jesus,’ par De Backer, 
vol. ii., p. 255 (seconde s£rie). 

‘Nouveau Dictionnaire Historique ou Histoire Abreg^e,’ par 
une Soci&d de Gens-de-Lettres (1783), vol. iv., p. 168. 

‘De las Medallas,’ por D. Vincenctio J. Lastanosa, Huesca, 
MDCXLV., p. 5. 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




PREFACE TO THE TRANSLATION . 



Vasquez, who was styled the Augustin of Spain, an 
many more who lived in a land which with all it 
faults has ever been Catholic to its heart’s con 
and who wrote in a language so grand, majestic 
and sublime, that it has been justly said of it that i 
was the language most fitting for mortal lips to us* 
in addressing the Creator. 

To what nobler work of love, then, .can I dedi 
cate my leisure hours than by translating various 
excellent Spanish Meditations, treatises, and othei 
rich spiritual treasures, and thus bringing them 
before the notice of the natives of this land, who, 
thoroughly free from jealousy, place the works of 
other countries side by side with their own, and 
with equal grandeur of mind and nobility of soul 
unostentatiously open their hospitable shores to 
receive alike, in a tranquil asylum, the exile, the 
dethroned, the stranger, the widow, and the father- 
less of all nations, leaving them unmolested and 
uninterfered with, so that they dwell there in perfect 
peace in every way, proving by their great charity 
how justly entitled this country is to the glorious 
renown which it has ever possessed throughout 
Christendom for its liberty, order, and generous 
philanthropy. 

Mariana Monteiro. 

St. Scholastica’s, 

Clapton, 

Feast of St. John of the Cross , 1899. 

[The first issue of the translation, which was 
unfortunately destroyed by fire, had been carefully 
revised, in the MS. and in the proofs, by the late 
the Rev. Charles Brierley Garside, author of i The 
Sacrifice of the Eucharist,’ etc.] 



Digitized by Cjooole 




The Writings of Father Baltasar Gracian, 

KNOWN UNDER THE NAME OF ‘ WORKS OF 

Lorenzo Gracian ’ : 

‘ El Criticon, primera parte en la primavera de la 
niftez, y en el Estio de la Juventud.’ Dedicated to 
Don Pablo de Parada. 

* El Criticon, segunda parte. Juiziosa Cortesana 
Filosofia, en el Otofio de la Varonil edad.* Dedi- 
cated to S. S. Don Juan de Austria. Zaragoza, 

1653. 

‘ El Criticon, parte tercera. En el Invierno de 
la vejez.* Dedicated to Doctor Don Lorenzo 
Frances. 

‘ El Discrete.’ Published by Don Vincencio 
Juan de Lastanosa. Barcelona, 1647. 

‘ El Politico D. Fernando el Catholico.* 1641. 
Published by Don V. J. de Lastanosa. 

‘ El Heroe.* Infanzon. Huesca, 1637. 

‘ El Forastero.’ Brussels, 1633. 

* Exercicios de Devocion.’ 1662. 

* Agudeza y Arte de Ingenio. En que se explican 
todos los modos y diferencias de conceptos.’ 

* Oraculo Manual y Arte de Prudencia.* Pub- 
lished by Don V. J. de Lastanosa. 1653. 

* El Comulgatorio,’ por el Padre Baltasar Gracian. 
Madrid, 1655. 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




TRANSLATION. 



Summary of the Approbations and Licenses. 

These books of Lorenzo Gracian, entitled, ‘ Subtlety 
and Art of Genius’; ‘The Discreet Man'; ‘The 
Politician of the Catholic Don Ferdinand and the 
‘Meditations of Father Baltasar Gracian, before 
and after Holy Communion,’ which have hitherto 
been known under the appellation of the ‘ Comul- 
gador,’ being all collected together in this the 
second volume, and approved by the Reverend 
Father M. Fr. Juan Perez de Baldelomar, formerly 
first Preacher of the Order of Saint Augustin, and 
at present Court Preacher in the Royal Convent of 
Saint Philip, have been printed by license from the 
Sefior Don Garcia de Velasco, Vicar of this town of 
Madrid and its districts, before Pedro Palacios, on 
October 29, 1665, and the Ministers of the Council, 
as appears by the certification of the Secretary, 
Luis Vasquez de Varzas, on October 15, 1663, at 
the instance of Santiago Martin Redondo, book- 
seller. 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




xii 



APPROBATIONS . 



Approbation of the Most Reverend Father Maestro 
Fr . Jayme Castellar, olim Prior of the Royal 
Convent of Barcelona , Vicar-General of all the 
Noble and enlightened Religion of Our Lady of 
Mercy for the Redemption of Captives, and now 
Officer of the Inquisition , etc. 

By Commission of the Senor Doctor Don Juan 
Baptista Vila, Official Canon and Vicar-General of 
the Most Illustrious and Most Reverend Lord Don 
Fr. Alonso de Sotomayor, Archbishop, Bishop of 
Barcelona, I have seen part of the works of Lorenzo 
Gracian, namely : ‘ The Daily Oracle/ * The Hero/ 
‘ Subtlety and the Art of Genius/ ‘ The Discreet 
Man/ and the ‘ Politician of the Catholic Don 
Ferdinand/ Comprised in the same volume are 
various Meditations before and after Holy Com- 
munion, by Father Baltasar Gracian, of the Society 
of Jesus, and Reader of Scripture, with the four 
4 Selvas del ano/ and have read them with great 
pleasure and profit, as being works which are both 
spiritually profitable, and refresh the powers of the 
soul. They are works worthy of many lights, for 
the nourishment and enlightenment of heroes, for 
raising up geniuses, and inspiriting souls to the 
exercise of prudence and the rest of the moral 
virtues. 

In Barcelona and Convent of Our Lady of Mercy 
for the Redemption of Captives, November 22, 1667. 

Fr. Jayme Castellar. 

Imprimatur , 

Vila, Vic.- Gen., etc., Offic . 



Digitized by Ljooole 




APPROBATIONS. 



xiii 



Approbation of the Most Reverend Father Teacher of 
Divinity Fr. Diego Carli , Doctor of Sacred Theo- 
logy in the University of Barcelona , etc., of the 
Order of Preachers. 

Part of the works of the ingenious, the political, 
and the discreet Lorenzo Gracian, viz., ‘The 
Daily Oracle/ 4 The Hero/ 4 Subtlety and the Art of 
Genius/ 4 The Discreet Man/ and the 4 Politician of 
theCatholic Don Ferdinand/ with the various Medita- 
tions before and after the Sacred Communion, by 
the Father Baltasar Gracian, of the Society of Jesus, 
Reader of Scripture, with the 4 Selvas del ano/ I 
have read with particular attention, by order of 
V. S. the Illustrious Doctor Fr. Francisco De Pons, 
Most Worthy Abbot, and Most High Chancellor of 
the Principality of Catalonia, and not only do I not 
find obscurities which could stain the Royal lustre 
or dim the clear lights of virtue, but on the contrary 
they give, with genius and great subtlety, savoury 
food for the good employment of the three powers 
of the soul. 4 Subtlety and the Art of Genius ’ yields 
instruction and shapes the understanding, and gives 
information to the most ingenious professor. 4 The 
Discreet Man * is valuable for training the will in 
reference to the Pulpit and the Confessional. The 
4 Politician ’ nurtures the memory, teaching from 
experience, on grounds of certainty, the government 
of self, and encircling the brows of the pious and 
devout Christian with the Meditations which crown 
this volume. Thus, in one word, I say that they 
cannot come under my censure ; hence, in the same 



Digitized by L-ooQle 




XIV 



APPROBATIONS . 



way as they have been with high eulogiums 
approved by the greatest lights of Spain, and having 
already acknowledged and approved the three parts 
of the ‘ Criticon,' I declare that it all seems to me, 
and is, Valde bonum; and I also say, that not only 
are these works adapted for great lights, but they 
are also useful for daily study in, and for all states of, 
life. This is my opinion. 

The Convent of Saint Catherine Martyr, of Bar- 
celona, of the Order of Preachers, January 15, 1668. 

Fr. Diego Carli. 

Die 22 Martii , 1668. 

Imprimatur, 

Don Francisco dc Pons , 

Cancellarius . 



CENSURA. 

Opera Laurentii Gratiani antehac impressa et saepius appro- 
bata poterunt hie imprimi. Datum Antuerpiae, May 29, 1669. 

Aubertus Vanden Ede, 
Can. et Archidiacon Antwerp, 
Lib. Censor. 

Opinion of the Very Reverend Father Teacher of 
Divinity Fray Pablo Guiu , of the Royal and 
Military Order of Our Lady of Mercy for the 
Redemption of Captives. 

By special commission and command of the Most 
Illustrious and Most Reverend Lord Don Miguel, 
Juan de Taverner y Rubi, most worthy Bishop of 
Gerona, of His Majesty’s Council, and His Chan- 
cellor in the Principality of Catalonia, etc., I have 
seen the most ingenious works of Lorenzo Gracian 



Digitized by L.ooQle 




APPROBATIONS . 



xv 



many Jimes printed in various kingdoms, and 
although they do not require examination, as 
they are works from an author who is so well 
known, and so applauded by those who have 
been delighted in perusing them as by the 
illustrious masters who in those editions have so 
justly approved them, yet in compliance with a 
superior command, and also not to depart from an 
usage in practice, I say that I have found nothing 
worthy of correction ; rather, what has been by all 
authorized demands, as what is due to justice, the 
reprint which is solicited. This is my opinion, given 
in this the Royal Convent of Saint Eulalia of Bar- 
celona, July 8, 1700. 

Fray Pablo Guiu. 

Die 12 July , 1700. 

Imprimatur , 

Af. J. Epise , Gerunde Cancell. 



Opinion of the Very Reverend Father Fray Francisco 
Duran , late Lecturer and actual Definidor of the 
Province of Catalonia , of Friars Minor , Observant 
and Synodical Examiner to the Bishopric of 
Barcelona . 

By order and commission of the Very Illustrious 
Lord Doctor in both rights, Joseph Romaguera, 
Canon of the Holy Cathedral Church, and Vicar 
General Official for the Most Illustrious and Most 
Reverend Lord Don Fray Benito Sala, Most 
Worthy Bishop of Barcelona, I have many times 
read with great delight the very original and 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




xvi 



APPROBATIONS. 



subtle works of Lorenzo Gracian, commonly called 
the * Criticon,’ and without fear of injuring any 
other genius, I can foretell of him what a poet said 
of another : 

4 Quo major nullus, quo non prsestantior alter : 

Cui nec prisca parem saecla tutere virum.’ 

In all ages of the world the great Providence of 
God has always favoured us with grand and subtle 
men, the study of whose works elevates us not only 
to imitation, but to admiration. There are men. 
so erudite, and so singular in the flight of their 
understandings, that with the mere expression of 
their pens, and the penetrating power of their wit, 
they can of their own opinions form such suitable 
expression that they leave all eloquence dumb. 
Some write in a persuasive manner, to please the 
taste, others with delicate phraseology offer intel- 
lectual entertainments for the learned. Some with 
gravity, solidity, ripeness, clearness, and subtlety, 
write alone what is profitable. Others there are who 
unite both in themselves. But there are others, 
again, who write with such art and spirit, with so 
much subtlety, that they not only impart to taste 
fruition, food, and profit, but they seem to transcend 
human limits and pass on to the Divine. Thus it 
seemed to St. Augustin, when he says in tom. 3, 
lib. 4 De Doctrina Christiana as follows : Quczdam est 
eloquentia qua magis cetatem juvenilem decet, quam 
senilem ; nec tam dicenda est eloquentia , si personce non 
congruat eloquenti ita est qucedam quce viros summa 
auctoritate dignissimos, plane que divinos decet. 

The works of Lorenzo Gracian stand unique 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




APPROBATIONS. 



xvii 



for the expression of the wisdom of their author, 
worthy of the most elevated intelligence, yet 
which are valuable for all ; in them are found wit 
and eloquence, pleasing to the taste and profitable 
for food, composed with such spirit and art that 
though they would seem fictions, they are not so, but 
most clear and manifest truths. 

Several times have these works been printed, and 
acknowledged, and approved by many and great 
masters, and been eminently distinguished through- 
out the whole theatre of the universe, represent- 
ing the greatness and learning of the author; for 
notwithstanding their having been examined by 
lynx-eyed and searching masters, yet now as they 
are being reprinted, I doubt not that they will 
solicit from everyone a worthy and merited accepta- 
tion. I must therefore tender many thanks to him 
who manifests such good taste by reprinting them 
with the object of preserving so precious a treasure. 

I have not perceived in all these said works any- 
thing contrary to our Holy Catholic Faith, sacred 
canons or good customs ; rather, on the contrary, 
they will, to my thinking, be of great utility and 
profit ; therefore I not only approve and ratify this 
my opinion, but I pray that with all despatch the 
permission demanded may be granted. 

Dated from this the Royal Convent of Saint 
Francis of Barcelona, July 9, 1700. 

Fray Francisco Duran. 

Die 13 Julii, 1700. 

Imprimatur, 

Romaguera, Vic.- Gen., etc., Ojfic. 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




Digitized by LjOOQle 




CONTENTS. 



1. On the Plenitude of Grace with which the Mother of 

God was prepared for receiving the Eternal Word. 
-—First Example" of a Perfect Communion 

2. The Banquet of the Prodigal Son applied to the Holy 

Communion ------ 

3. For communicating with the Intentions of the Cen- 

turion ------ 

4. Receiving the Holy Communion with the Faith of the 

Woman of Canaan - 

5. On the Manna, as a Figure of this Sacrament, in 

which is considered the Assiduity in gathering 
it, the Delights which it contained, and the Cir- 
cumstances of preserving it 

6. On communicating with the Devotion of Zacheus - 

7. Receiving the Holy Communion with the Confidence 

of the Woman who touched the Hem of the Gar- 
ment of Christ - 

8. On the entrance of the Ark of the Testament into the 

House of Obededom, and the many Blessings which 
accompanied it 

9. On approaching to receive the Holy Communion 

with the Humility of Saint Peter - 

10. On receiving the Lord with the Assiduity of Martha 

and the Zeal of Mary - 

11. Joseph’s Banquet to his Brethren - 

12. On communicating with the Humility of the Publican 

13. On the Magnificence displayed by Solomon in the 

b 



Digitized by 



Google 



PAGE 

I 

6 

11 

15 

19 

23 

28 

32 

36 

4i 

45 

50 




XX 



CONTENTS . 



PAGE 

Building of the Temple, and of the great Prepara- 
tions for its Dedication, applied to the Holy Com- 
munion - - - - - 55 

14. On the Fountain of Living Waters which the Lord 

opened in the heart of the Samaritan Woman, 
applied to the Sacred Communion - - - 59 

15. For communicating with the Reverence of the Sera- 

phim who stand around the Throne of God - 64 

16. On communicating as at an uncovered Banquet - 68 

17. On receiving the Lord with the Desire and Joy of the 

aged Holy Simeon - - - - 72 

18. On receiving the Lord in the three Chambers of the 

Soul ------- 76 

19. The Feast of the Five Loaves applied to the Sacred 

Communion - - - - - 80 

20. The finding of the Honeycomb by Samson applied 

to the Holy Communion - - - - 84 

21. The Banquet of Simon the Leper and the Penitence 

of Magdalen, applied to the Sacred Communion - 88 

22. On the Lost Sheep found and regaled with the Bread 

of Heaven - - - - - 92 

23. On the Bad Preparation of the Man who was cast 

forth from the Banquet - - - - 96 

24. On the Happiness of Miphiboseth at being seated at 

the Royal Table, applied to the Holy Communion - 101 

25. On the Thanksgiving which the Beloved Disciple 

rendered his Divine Master, leaning on His Bosom 106 

26. The Banquet of King Assuerus - - - no 

27. On attaining to receive the Lord, adoring Him with 

the three Kings, and offering Him Gifts - - 114 

28. Comparing the Greatness of the Lord with the Vile- 

ness of Man - - - - - 1 18 

29. The Great Supper applied to the Sacred Communion 122 

30. On receiving the Lord as a Treasure hidden in the 

Sacrament - - - - - 126 

31. On approaching the Holy Communion with the Fer- 

vour of the two Blind Men whom our Lord en- 
lightened - - - - 130 



Digitized by 



Google 




CONTENTS . 



xxi 



PAGE 



32. On receiving our Blessed Lord in the Manner in which 

He was welcomed in Zachary’s House - - 135 

33. On no Room being found in Bethlehem to receive the 

Child-God, applied to the Holy Communion - 139 

34. On receiving the Most Blessed Sacrament as a Grain 

of Wheat sown in your Breast - - - 144 

35. Receiving the Child -Jesus banished to the Egypt of 

your Heart ------ 148 

36. On the Marriage Feast of Cana, applied to the Holy 

Communion - - - - - - 153 

37. On receiving the lost Child-Jesus, Who is found on 

the Altar - - - - - -158 

38. On the Banquet in the Desert where the Angels minis- 

tered to the Lord, applied to the Holy Sacrament - 162 

39. On receiving the Lord with the Triumphal Palms - 166 

40. In which is compared the Good Disposition of John 

with the Bad Disposition of Judas, at the Lord’s 
Supper - 170 

41. On some of the Stages of the Sacred Passion, applied 

to the Holy Communion - - - - 174 

42. On communicating with the Freedom of Saint 

Thomas, who touched the Side of Christ - - 179 

43. On inviting and receiving our Lord as a Pilgrim, like 

the two Disciples of Emmaus - - - 184 

44. On receiving, like Magdalen, the Lord as the Gardener 

of your Soul - 189 

45. On receiving the Lord as your King, Spouse, Physician, 

Captain, Judge, Pastor, and Instructor - - 194 

46. On receiving the Lord as your Creator, Redeemer, 

Glorifier, and only Benefactor - - - 199 

47. For communicating on all the Festivals of the Lord - 203 

48. For communicating on all the Festivals of the Saints 208 

49. Recapitulation of many other Meditations - - 212 

50. On receiving the Most Holy Sacrament as the Viati- 

cum - - - - - - - 215 



b 2 



Digitized by Google 




TABLE OF THE MEDITATIONS. 

Suitable for Communicating on all the Festivals of the Year. 



JANUARY. 

PAGE 

On the Circumcision. Med. 47, page 203 ; Med. 45 - 194 

The Epiphany. Med. 27. The Kings - - - 114 

Sunday within the Octave. Med. 3 7. The Lost Child - 158 
2nd Sunday after the Epiphany. Med. 36. The Mar- 
riage Feast - - - - 153 

3rd Sunday after the Epiphany. Med. 2. The Prodigal 6 

FEBRUARY. 

The Purification. Med. 17, proper - 72 

Saint Matthias. Med. 18 - - - - 76 

. 4th Sunday after Epiphany. Med. 3. The Centurion - 1 1 

Septuagesima Sunday. Med. 20. Samson’s Honeycomb 84 
Sexagesima Sunday. Med. 34. The Grain of Wheat - 144 
Quinquagesima Sunday. Med. 41. The Passion - 174 

MARCH. 

Saint Joseph. Med. 11. Joseph’s Banquet; page 45; 

or, Med. 37. The Lost Child- - - - 158 

The Annunciation. Med. 1, proper - - - 1 

1st Sunday in Lent. Med. 38. The Banquet of the 
Angels - - - - - - - 162 

2nd Sunday in Lent. Med. 47 - - - 203 

3rd Sunday in Lent. Med. 4. The Woman of Canaan - 15 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




TABLE OF THE MEDITATIONS. xxiii 

PAGE 

4th Sunday in Lent. Med. 19. The Five Loaves - 80 

Passion Sunday. Med. 41. The Passion - - 174 

Palm Sunday. Med. 39, proper - - - - 166 

APRIL. 

Holy Thursday. Med, 40. On the Communion of St. 

John and the unworthy one of Judas - - - 170 

Easter Sunday. Med. 47 - - - - - 203 

Easter Monday. Med. 43. The Disciples of Emmaus - 184 

Easter Tuesday. Med. 44. Magdalen - - - 189 

Low Sunday. Med. 42, proper, on St. Thomas - - 179 

2nd Sunday after Easter. Med. 22. The Lost Sheep - 92 

3rd Sunday after Easter. Med. 5. The Manna - - 19 

4th Sunday after Easter. Med. 8. The house of Obed- 

edom ------- 32 

5th Sunday after Easter. Med. 18. The Three Chambers 

of the Soul - - - - - 76 

MAY. 

St. Philip and St. James. Med. 48 208 

The Finding of the Holy Cross. Med. 30. The Hidden 

Treasure ------ 126 

Apparition of St. Michael. Med. 15. The Reverence of 

the Seraphim - - - - - 64 

The Angel Guardian. Med. 38. The Feast of the 

Angels ------- 162 

Ascension Day. Med. 47, page 203 ; or, Med. 46, 

page 199 ; or, Med. 45 - 194 

Sunday within the Octave. Med. 24. Miphiboseth - 101 

Whit Sunday. Med. 45. The Spouse - - -194 

Whit Monday. Med. 26. The Banquet of Assuerus - 1 10 

Whit Tuesday. Med. 13. Dedication of the Temple - 55 

Trinity Sunday. Med. 28. The Greatness of God * 118 

JUNE. 

St. John. Med. 28. The Humility of St. John, page 118 ; 

or, Med. 32 - - - - - 135 

St. Peter. Med. 9. The Humility of this Saint - - 36 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




XXIV 



TABLE OF THE MEDITATIONS. 



PAGE 

Corpus Christi. Med. 16. The Uncovered Banquet - 68 

Sunday within the Octave. Med. 29. The Great Supper 122 
3rd Sunday after Pentecost. Med. 22. The Lost Sheep- 92 
4th Sunday after Pentecost. Med. 9. The Humility of 

Peter ------- 36 

5th Sunday after Pentecost. Med. 6. Zacheus - - 23 

JULY. 

The Visitation. Med. 32, proper - - - 135 

St. Mary Magdalen. Med. 21. Her Conversion- - 88 

St. Ann. Med. 3a The Hidden Treasure - - 126 

6th Sunday after Pentecost. Med. 19. The Five 

Loaves - - - - - - 80 

7th Sunday after Pentecost. Med. 7. The Confidence 

of the Sick Woman - - - 28 

8th Sunday after Pentecost. Med. n. Joseph’s Banquet 45 
9th Sunday after Pentecost. Med. 14. The Samaritan 

Woman - - - - - 59 

10th Sunday after Pentecost. Med. 12, proper - - 50 

AUGUST. 

Our Lady ad Nives. Med. 1 - - - 1 

The Transfiguration. Med. 47 - - - 203 

St. Lawrence. Med. 34. The Grain of Wheat, page 144; 

or, Med. 48 ----- - 208 

The Assumption. Med. 10, proper - - 41 

St. Bartholomew. Med. 48 - - - - 208 

nth Sunday after Pentecost. Med. 16. The Uncovered 

Banquet - - - - - - 68 

12th Sunday after Pentecost. Med. 23. The One who 

was cast forth from the Banquet - - -96 

13th Sunday after Pentecost. Med. 35. The Banish- 
ment into Egypt - - - - - 148 

14th Sunday after Pentecost. Med. 2. The Prodigal 

Son 6 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




TABLE OF THE MEDITATIONS. 



XXV 



SEPTEMBER. 

PAGE 



The Nativity of Our Lady. Med. i - - - i 

St. Matthew. Med. 48 - - - 208 

St. Michael. Med. 38 • - - - 162 

15th Sunday after Pentecost. Med. 3. The Centurion - 11 

16th Sunday after Pentecost. Med. 5. The Manna - 19 

17th Sunday after Pentecost. Med. 8. The Ark in the 

House of Obededom - - - - - 32 

1 8th Sunday after Pentecost. Med. 18. The Three 

Chambers - - - - - 76 

OCTOBER. 

St Luke. Med. 48 - 208 

St. Simon and St. Jude. Med. 48- - - - 208 

19th Sunday after Pentecost. Med. 20. Samson’s 

Honeycomb - - - - - 84 

20th Sunday after Pentecost. Med. 24. Miphiboseth - 101 

22nd Sunday after Pentecost. Med. 26. The Banquet 

of Assuerus - - - - - -no 

23rd Sunday after Pentecost. Med. 28. God’s Great- 
ness - - - - - - - 1 18 



NOVEMBER. 



Feast of All Saints. Med. 29. The Great Supper, 

page 122 ; or, Med. 45. Receiving Christ as King - 194 

St. Martin. Med. 28 - - - - - 118 

The Presentation. Med. 1, page 1 ; or, Med. 37. The 

Lost Child - - - - - - 158 

St. Catherine, V. and M. Med. 45 194 

St. Andrew, Ap. Med. 48, page 208 ; or, Med. 19 80 

24th Sunday after Pentecost. Med. 30. The Hidden 

Treasure - - - - - - 126 

1st Sunday of Advent. Med. 33 - - - - 139 

2nd Sunday of Advent. Med. 34. The Grain of Wheat- 144 
3rd Sunday of Advent. Med. 6. Zacheus - -23 



Digitized by Google 




XXVI 



TABLE OF THE MEDITATIONS . 



DECEMBER. 

PAGE 

The Immaculate Conception. Med. i - i 

The Expectation. Med. 32, page 135 ; or, Med. 33 - 139 

St. Thomas. Med. 42 - - - 179 

4th Sunday of Advent. Med. 10 - - - 41 

Christmas Day. Med. 33, proper - - - - 139 

St. Stephen. Med. 48, page 208 ; or, Med. 49 - - 212 

St. John the Evangelist. Med. 25, page 106; or, Med. 40 170 
Holy Innocents. Med. 35. The Banishment into Egypt 148 

Sunday within the Octave. Med. 17, proper - - 72 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS 

FOR PRIESTS AND FREQUENT COMMUNICANTS , 



FIRST MEDITATION. 

On the plenitude of Grace, with which the Mother of God was 
prepared for receiving the Eternal Word . — First Example oj 
a Perfect Communion . 

First Point. — Before Communion. 

Consider the majestic preparations of sanctity and 
the crown of virtues with which the Mother of God 
was adorned to fit her to receive the Eternal Word 
into her most pure womb. She was conceived in 
grace and confirmed in grace, that sin might not, 
even for a single instant, obscure the living Sanc- 
tuary of the Lord. Her father was named ‘ Joachim,’ 
signifying ‘preparation of God,’ and her mother 
‘ Anna,’ which means ‘ grace,’ that all might join 
together in due preparation for it. She is born and 
lives in the ‘ City of Flowers,’ blooming as the Flower 
of Purity. She is called ‘ Mary,’ which signifies 
‘ Lady,’ and justly so, for even the Prince of Eternity 

i 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




2 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS . 



offers her obedience. She is brought up in the 
Temple, the great wonder of the world, to be her- 
self the wonder of Heaven. She takes a vow of 
virginity, reserving herself as a sealed door for 
the Prince alone to enter in. She covers her soul 
with the plenitude of graces, and gems her heart 
with every virtue to receive a Lord Who is called 
Holy. 

Reflect that you are about to receive into your 
breast that same Incarnate Word which Mary con- 
ceived in her womb, she with so much preparation, 
you so devoid of any! Remember that he who 
communicates receives the same Lord Whom Mary 
conceived. If the Mother of God was troubled at 
conceiving Him, surrounded as she was with such 
great sanctity, how can you, so utterly unworthy, 
not tremble at approaching to receive Him ? The 
Virgin ‘ full of grace ’ fears, and you, defiled with 
sin, fear not ! Endeavour to form a just conception 
of so great an action, preparing yourself assiduously 
for receiving frequently the Eternal Word, since the 
Virgin prepared herself so carefully in order to 
conceive Him once. 



Second Point. — At the Time of Communion. 

To this disposition of her whole life the event 
which followed corresponded well. Concealed and 
separated from all human bustle was this Lady — 
given up completely to Divine communications. 
So retired from earth, so familiar with Heaven, 
it needed that an Angel should enter to search for 



Digitized by LjOOQle 



FIRST MEDITATION . 



3 



her in her hidden retreat, and that he should knock 
at the solitude of her heart, so retired in herself was 
she, so absorbed in her devotion. 

Her virginal modesty veiled her beauty, her cir- 
cumspect humility was the rampart of her chastity. 
Full of astonishment, the Angel salutes her. Mary, 
troubled, listens — she who could teach the very 
angelic spirits purity. 

The sacred Paranymph invites her to the Divine 
maternity, and she attends to the defence of her 
virginity ; she bends with her whole being as she 
accepts the offer of the greatest of honours, and she 
consents, not to be a Queen, but a handmaid. In 
every word she utters a wonder is contained, and in 
each action that she performs a prodigy. 

O soul, approach and learn virtues, study per- 
fections, copy this original and learn to receive your 
God; reflect with what humility you should come 
near, with what reverence kneel in His presence ! 
If the Virgin, so crowned with perfections, was 
troubled, if, so full of grace, feared, needing that he 
who is the ‘ strength of God ’ should comfort her, how 
can you, so devoid of virtues, so covered with the 
filth of your sins, dare to receive into your breast 
that same immense God ? Reflect, what can be an 
adequate preparation, what purity equal to such an 
occasion ? Prepare your heart, then, if not with 
the perfection which is due to such an act, at least 
with all the graces you can possibly attain. 



i — 2 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




4 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS. 



Third Point. — After Communion. 

In this purest Tabernacle of Grace, on this sublime 
Throne of all virtues, the Eternal Word takes flesh ; 
here is compressed that great God Whom the heavens 
cannot contain, and she who was full of grace re- 
mains full of devotion. So soon as she is made 
sensible that in her purest womb is enclosed her Son 
— God — her soul, with all its faculties, lies prostrate 
in adoration, dedicating all its powers to His worship 
and love. Her understanding, enraptured, contem- 
plates that immense grandeur reduced to the com- 
pass of an infant body. Her will is inflamed with 
love for that infinite goodness which had been com- 
municated to her, and her memory ever recalls His 
mercies. Her imagination represented Him in His 
humanity ; her exterior senses, separating themselves 
from the love of every external duty, remained, as it 
were, absorbed in the already felt presence of her 
God. Her eyes longed to gaze on Him, her ears 
yearned to listen to His voice, her arms folded Him 
in spirit in her embrace, sealing with her lips His 
tender humanity. 

In imitation of her, may these be your employ- 
ments, O my soul ! When, after having communi- 
cated, you possess in your breast really and truly the 
same God and Lord, embrace Him tenderly ; 
summon all your strength to serve Him and all your 
powers to adore Him. Obtain by fervent contem- 
plation the power to enjoy those sweetest colloquies, 
those tenderest expressions, with which the Virgin 
addressed the God she bore within her. 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




FIRST MEDITATION. 



5 



Fourth Point. — In Thanksgiving. 

The Virgin hymned her thanks to God, on the 
banks of this abyss of mercies, more gloriously than 
did that other Mary, the sister of Moses, on the 
banks of the Red Sea. She commenced at once to 
magnify His wondrous deeds ; for that which was 
abridged in her womb enlarged her mind. She 
invited all generations to assist in thanksgiving for 
the mercies wrought in her, and to magnify the 
Holy Name of the Lord, proceeding to eternize the 
Divine favours with grateful praises. And then, 
looking back, so that those who had gone before, 
those who were living then, and those who were yet 
to come, should all magnify the Lord, she awakens 
Abraham and all his posterity to confess and praise 
the great Word of God, accomplished and already 
incarnate. In this way did the Virgin Mother return 
thanks for having conceived the Infinite God. 

At the resounding of such grateful canticles do 
not you, my soul, remain dumb, for you have 
received this same Lord ; praise Him, then, with 
the voice of exultation and exaltation, which are the 
sounds of the invited ones, employ that mouth and 
tongue, which have tasted such Divine nourishment, 
in His sweet praises. Sing to-day a new canticle to 
the Lord for His new favours, and in His real Divine 
Presence dedicate all your interior to perseverance 
in praising him for ever and ever. Amen. 



Digitized by LjOoq le 



SECOND MEDITATION. 



The Banquet of the Prodigal Son applied to the Holy 
Communion. 

First Point. — Before Communion. 

Consider the thoughtless Prodigal fallen from the 
greatest felicity to the lowest state of misery, that he 
may appreciate more justly the delights of his 
father’s house, now exchanged for the service of a 
tyrant ; living in a vile hut, consumed with hunger, 
crouching in his nakedness, depressed with sadness, 
envying the filthy swine those husks of theirs, 
which are denied to himself. Then, remembering his 
father’s well-covered table, and longing for that 
delicious bread which even the very hired servants 
had in plentifulness, and feeling himself perishing 
with hunger, he wept abundantly. This was the 
first step towards his remedy, for it caused his 
hopes to spring up, and confiding in that paternal 
love which is never altogether eradicated from a 
father’s heart, he resolved to arise, return home, and 
f enter the gates of his paradise. 

Contemplate, now, another prodigal even more 
wretched, even yourself, for in leaving the house of 
your God and your Father’s table you purchased 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




SECOND MEDITATION . 



7 



your unhappiness in order to serve your appetites — 
hard and cruel tyrants ! Consider how little your 
pleasures have satisfied you, how little delight your 
vanities have offered you, however much they may 
have elated you. Lament your wretchedness in 
having exchanged the favour of a son of God for the 
despicable slavery of Satan. Cast aside all your 
illusions; despise all that is of this world; value 
everything that appertains to Heaven, and with a 
brave resolution return to-day to the house of your 
God, and to your good Father’s table. 



Second Point. — At the Time of Communion. 

The Prodigal resolves to return to the paternal 
home, and for this end disposes himself with sorrow 
to obtain consolations. But he first of all returns 
into himself— for even to himself he was a stranger. 
He approaches, acknowledging his vileness before so 
great a magnificence. Yet he is filled with a sure 
confidence, for though he has been a bad son, he has 
a good father, and, covered with a sorrowing shame, 
he confesses his weakness and his ignorance. He 
commences with the tender word ‘ Father,* and con- 
tinues, * I have sinned against Heaven and before 
thee.’ How quickly the father of mercies hears his 
voice, and runs to receive and clasp him in his arms 
whom he had already received back to the love of 
his heart. He does not loathe him on account of 
his garments, torn and filthy though they be, nor 
does he turn away from him on account of his errors, 
but he hides him in his embrace, that not even the 



Digitized by Ljooole 




8 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS. 



servants should witness his misfortunes ; and though 
the necessity for food be most urgent, he attends 
first to propriety, and orders a new robe to be 
brought in token of the new life his son now enters 
on. He puts a ring on his finger, in restitution of 
his profaned nobility, and when he sees him fit to 
appear as his son, he seats him at his table richly 
robed, and feasts him sumptuously. 

Consider what resolutions you should form to arise 
from the abysm of misery in which your sins have 
engulfed you, what dispositions of true humility you 
should possess before ascending into the house of 
your great Father; how adorned you should be if 
you are to sit down at the angelic table ; not carrying 
in with you the errors of your sins, but freed 
from them by a good confession, clothed with the 
precious robe of grace, with the ring of noble charity 
on your finger, and covered with the richest jewels 
of every grace. Thus prepared, approach to obtain 
the Divine favours. 

Third Point.— After Communion. 

The loving father seeing him fair and clean, 
deigns to seat him at his table, and in order to 
satisfy his great hunger he orders that the best calf 
of his herds should be killed, and after being roasted 
whole at the fire of his love, to be placed before him. 

The prodigal commenced to satisfy his appetite ; 
the food being delicious. With what delight must he 
have enjoyed it ! His good father, gazing upon him, 
must have urged him to eat and be filled, knowing 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




SECOND MEDITATION. 



9 



that he eats well who relishes his food. Now he 
experiences the difference, tasting one delight after 
another. How must he, who in his misery had 
begged for the vilest food that was given to swine, 
have appreciated the food now before him. 

Reflect how much greater is your bliss, your table 
being so much more splendid, for in place of the 
fatted calf you feed sacramentally on the Son of the 
Eternal Father. Animate your faith, awaken your 
hunger, eat with joy and It will nourish you, relish 
It well, and you will find in It new sweetnesses ; 
dwell in contemplation upon what you partake of, 
and you will obtain life eternal. 

Fourth Point. — In Thanksgiving. 

How grateful the prodigal must have been to that 
father who so entertained him, appreciating to the 
full his great happiness, from the moment when he 
was undeceived. What efficacious and firm purposes 
he must have truly made of never more leaving his 
home or his father’s table ; and in the midst of his 
delight what horror must he have felt at the miser- 
able state in which he had been ; how watchful he 
must have been not to displease his father in the 
slightest particular, through filial love, and the 
recollection of his misfortunes ! How gratefully he 
must have recounted his happiness to everyone 
belonging to his home, from the most favoured to 
the lowest hireling, dwelling on his father’s kind- 
nesses and favours, and praising his gifts! How 
much greater thanks should you render after having 



Digitized by Ljooole 




IO 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS . 



communicated, when you have been so highly 
favoured. Let your fervour correspond to the 
delight of this heavenly food ; lift up your eyes from 
this banquet to Heaven, and having tasted the sweet- 
ness of your God, let your tongue break forth into 
Divine praises. 



Digitized by Ljooole 




THIRD MEDITATION. 



On communicating with the dispositions of the Centurion. 

First Point. — Before Communion. 

Meditate to-day on the excellent virtues with 
which the centurion armed himself when he sought 
to win the aid of infinite mercy. A fervent charity 
filled him when he sallied forth seeking the gift of 
health, not for an only son, but for a lowly servant ; 
humbling himself first to a creature, what will he 
not obtain from his Creator ? He well knew how 
little human remedies avail without Divine ones, 
and thus undeceived he solicited them with esteem 
and respect. He trusted not to the diligence of a 
careless servant, nor did he send another to speak to 
his God. 

Reflect that to-day you are leaving your house in 
search of the same Lord, not to solicit from Him 
the cure of a servant, but the health of your own 
soul; it is to Jesus Himself you are going to speak; 
endeavour, then, to cover yourself with virtues thus 
to obtain His mercies. Approach with humility ; 
prostrate yourself before His Divine Presence, 
drawing from it great fervour of spirit, an ardent 
charity and a careful diligence. 



Digitized by L-ooQle 




12 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS . 



Second Point.— At the Time of Communion. 

Full of charity, the centurion approaches to the 
Lord in perfect confidence that He has the power 
and the will to effect a cure, and by Him is received 
most benignly. ‘ Lord,’ he says, * my servant at 
home lieth sick of the palsy,’ and so helpless that 
he cannot come to Thee, but in spirit. And the Lord 
answered, ‘ If he cannot come, I will go and heal 
him.’ Not only does He listen to the centurion, 
but He deigns to enter his house to cure a servant, 
rewarding his great charity by a charity greater still, 
and not suffering Himself to be outdone in loving 
mercy. 

Understand well that on your expressing the least 
wish or yearning for the Lord, He invites Himself 
at once to enter the door of your breast. Open 
wide, then, the interior portals of your soul to 
receive the favours which He has ready on His right 
hand ; dilate your mouth, that He may fill it with 
such delicious food, and let your gratitude correspond 
to the extent of His infinite goodness. Enkindle 
in yourself the desire that the Lord may come to 
you, enter your breast, and heal your soul. 

Third Point. — After Communion. 

The centurion, full of deep admiration at the Lord’s 
Divine benevolence, comparing his own nothingness 
with His infinite greatness, astonished and even 
confounded, exclaims, < Lord, I am not worthy that 
Thou shouldst enter under my lowly roof.’ Reflect 
that while the proud Pharisees heap contempt on 



Digitized by Cjooole 



THIRD MEDITATION. 



13 



the Lord, a soldier proudly proclaims his deep 
veneration. The Pharisees thought it beneath them 
to come even near Him ; the centurion is lost in 
admiration and amazed that the Lord should deign 
to enter his house. 

If the centurion is confounded that the Lord 
should .wish to cross the threshold of his house, 
what should your astonishment be that He should 
condescend to enter, not merely under your roof, 
but into your very bosom ? ‘ One word alone would 
suffice,’ he says, ‘to heal my servant, and fill my 
house with joy.’ He is satisfied with a single spoken 
word, and the Infinite Word, made flesh, enters 
into your very soul. Compare the greatness of this 
Lord and Master with your own vileness, and when 
in Holy Communion you receive Him, annihilate 
yourself, owning that you are nothing, reflecting 
that if for the exercise of His omnipotence one word 
be sufficient, much more is needed to satisfy the 
greatness of His mercy. 

Fourth Point. — In Thanksgiving. 

With what grateful accents of thanksgiving must 
the centurion have burst forth for so many mercies 
shown to him ! how thankful must he have felt, after 
being so favoured ! In humility he had worshipped 
Him, and gratefully now he blesses Him, loudly pro- 
claiming His greatness. The Saviour also praised 
him for his faith — a faith which Holy Church sets 
before us for an example when we are receiving 
our Lord in Holy Communion. 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




14 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS . 



Consider, my soul, how much greater thanksgiving 
should you render this Lord for so many and greater 
favours which He has bestowed upon you ; do not 
turn your back ungratefully upon this Fountain of 
Mercy, but with eternal gratitude extol Him, saying, 

‘ I will sing for ever the mercies of the Lord.’ Cor- 
respond to the participation of this daily bread by a 
daily thanksgiving for the graces received each day, 
practising with this exercise a greater acquisition of 
virtues. 



Digitized by L.ooQle 



FOURTH MEDITATION. 



On receiving Holy Communion with the faith of the woman 
of Canaan. 

First Point. — Before Communion. 

Consider how the woman of Canaan leaves her 
home, her country and her comforts, and goes as 
diligently as her sorrow was great to ask for mercy 
at the Fountain of all compassion; and though 
she met with multiplied trials, they only served to 
increase her diligence. The wondrous deeds of 
Christ had come to her knowledge, and she had 
not turned to them a deaf ear, but speedily came, 
calling upon Him. Great dispositions these for 
appearing before a Lord Who loves to comfort and 
to heal ! , 

Reflect how this woman of Canaan comes begging 
for that mercy which you are besought to accept, 
since it is easier for you to find the whole of Heaven’s 
bread than for her to obtain a crumb. You have 
not to leave your country or your home, and to 
journey to the ends of the earth to receive the Holy 
Communion, but in every Catholic church our Lord 
is ever inviting you to receive Him. Appreciate, 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




i6 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS . 



then, your happiness, so much greater and nearer, 
and endeavour to come out of your own self, quitting 
your self-love, your perverse purposes, and your evil 
intentions, that without hindrance or impediment 
this Divine goodness may enter in, deriving therefrom 
the great dispositions of an heroic faith, a firm hope, 
perseverance in prayer, and a fervent diligence. 

Second Point. — At the Time of Communion. 

The woman of Canaan persists in her supplica- 
tions, and the Lord seems not to heed her when 
most He is attending to her cries. He keeps back 
His mercy that she may be more impressed with 
the knowledge of her own miseries, so that, repeating 
her cries, she even troubles the Apostles with them, 
although to Him they were the sweetest music. 

Reflect how important it is not to faint or fail in 
the exercise of virtue. Do not because of your short- 
comings desist from the Sacraments, but rather per- 
severe the more. Our Lord’s delight is to hear our 
prayers, and His rest to repose in the bosom of the 
communicant. Learn from this fervent woman 
perseverance and courage, not being intimidated by 
trifles, and you will thus crown your works. 

Third Point. — After Communion. 

The Lord continued to prove her virtue in the 
crucible of trials, and purify the gold of her faith, 
so that it might shine resplendently. In order, more- 
over, that her patience might prove the conqueror, 
and her humility be exalted, when most He desired 



Digitized by L-ooole 




FOURTH MEDITATION . 



17 



to have her come near to Him, He sternly bade her 
retire, saying, ‘ It is not good to take the bread of 
the children and cast it to the dogs.’ Who would not 
lose heart at seeing such stern signs of disfavour ? 
But the woman of Canaan was not dismayed, and 
only humbled herself the more. She who had so 
bitterly experienced the rigour and tyrannies of the 
devil feared not the seeming harshness of her God. 
She felt not her slights, who knew so well her own 
demerits. She retorted — and not to a man only, but 
to God, His own argument — saying, ‘ Yea, Lord, 
for even the whelps eat of the crumbs that fall from 
the table of their masters.’ I am conscious, as said 
the holy King, that I am but as a beast in Thy 
sight, and more useless than a whelp, but I also 
know that Thou art my good Master Who, if He 
feeds the birds of the air, will not have me perish. 

Contemplate this woman’s excellent humility, the 
firmness of her faith, the fidelity of her confidence, 
and the perfection of her charity, and reflect that 
while she would have been contented with a crumb, 
and even have judged herself highly favoured to 
receive it, you receive not only a crumb of Heaven’s 
bread, but the whole of it. How much greater, then, 
should be your appreciation of your gift, and your 
enjoyment of your happy lot ! Learn here humility, 
and practise it by humiliations. Estimate highly the 
favour, and adore the greatness of the God Whom 
you receive. 

Fourth Point.— In Thanksgiving. 

On hearing such expressions of perfect faith, the 
Saviour exclaimed, * O woman, great is thy faith ; be 

2 



Digitized by CiiOOQle 




SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS . 



i8 

it done to thee as thou wilt/ and He granted her 
what she demanded and what her faith had merited 
for her. Our Lord uttered this exclamation of 
astonishment for us also to admire and to imitate 
her faith. 

Consider how gratefully she must have thanked 
Him Whom with such deep humility she had ap- 
proached, Whom she had supplicated with such 
faith, and from Whom she had obtained her request. 
Returning home, she lifted up her voice in accents 
of gratitude, she who had before joined her cries to 
her petitions. Oh ye who have obtained so much 
greater mercy, not indeed the crumbs but the fulness 
of grace, let your gratitude and thankfulness be so 
much the more abundant, and let the Divine canticles 
of praise ever resound in your mouth for all eternity! 



Digitized by Ljooole 



FIFTH MEDITATION. 



On the Manna, as a figure of this Sacrament, in which is 
considered the assiduity of the people in gathering it, the 
delights which it contained, and the circumstances of pre- 
serving it. 

First Point. — Before Communion. 

Meditate on the marvellous circumstances which 
preceded the reception of this miraculous food by 
the people of Israel. God’s chosen people left 

Egypt and its darkness in search of a vision of 
peace; they crossed a sea, leaving their mortal 
enemies drowned within its depths ; they travelled 
through a desert without holding communication 
with anyone, only communing with God. They drank 
from the bitter waters of Mara, joining prayer with 
mortification ; earthly food failed them that so they 
might the more relish Heaven’s bread; all these 
great preparations being necessary to teach us that 
those who partake of the bread of Angels must lead 
an angelic life. 

Consider that if for the reception of a food which 
was only a figure of this Sacrament, such prepara- 
tions were necessary, what dispositions can suffice 
for receiving as we should this supersubstantial bread 
— the Body and Blood of the Lord, not in figure but 

2 — 2 



Digitized by 



Google 



20 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS. 



in reality ? You must break from the slavery of sin, 
drive far from you the darkness of ignorance, join 
prayer with mortification if you would reverently 
commune with God. Retirement from the world 
and from men is needed if we would obtain the 
relish of this true Manna ! 

Second Point. — At the Time of Communion. 

Since the Israelites were so well disposed, they 
merited from the Lord to be consoled by having 
this exquisite food sent them — a food which both 
astonished and satisfied them. He did not give 
them earthly, but heavenly food, containing in itself 
every delight, suiting every taste, so that they might 
lead a heavenly life, teaching them that every good 
gift which they could desire was contained therein, 
and thus in astonishment they cried out, ‘What 
precious food is this, coming down from Heaven and 
from the hand of God ?’ With far greater reason, my 
soul, can you ask to-day, What delicious food is 
this ? and faith will answer you : This is the Word 
made flesh; this is the bread of Angels given to 
man to eat ; this is that bread which is the delight 
of kings ; this is the true manna which gives life- 1 — 
in a word, man receives his God, Who, being infinite 
goodness, contains in Himself every delight. Oh, 
taste and see how sweet He is — tasting of every 
virtue and grace ! 

Third Point. — After Communion. 

Mysterious circumstances accompanied the recep- 
tion of this mysterious food. At the dawn of day, 



Digitized by L-ooQle 



FIFTH MEDITATION. 



21 



in that virgin hour before the sunrise, the Israelites 
sallied forth to gather it — teaching us that if we 
desire to receive this heavenly manna we must make 
it our first duty of the day to rise early and diligently 
gather it at any cost, ere the sun rises and the heat 
of the world melts it ; for this food, being so pure 
and delicate, cannot endure the hot breath of 
worldly desires. Each one gathered what sufficed 
only for the day, not laying by for the morrow, as 
worldly avarice might suggest, thus teaching us that 
we must approach frequently to receive this our 
daily bread ; the manna which was reserved for 
another day bred corruption, a figure and image of 
a delinquent conscience. 

Reflect that far more precise and mysterious 
circumstances should attend the receiving of the 
sacramental manna. Let no duty whatever deter 
you from this your first care and thought. Seek It 
diligently, else you will be left empty ; receive It 
with great purity of conscience, lest in place of 
giving you life, It engender the seeds of death, like 
the reserved manna which bred corruption. 

Fourth Point. — In Thanksgiving. 

After being so highly favoured by God, the people 
ungratefully murmured against their Lord, and 
longed after the leeks of Egypt ; for being so busied 
in material things, they failed to perceive the spiritual 
graces contained in that bread of Heaven which they 
despised — an instance of man’s deep ingratitude for 
the great mercies which God bestows upon him. 

My soul, tremble, for you have been more ungrate- 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




22 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS . 



ful than they were ; and as you have received greater 
favours, your ingratitude is far more culpable. For 
ever praise this heavenly manna and frequently 
receive It, laud It with more canticles than did the 
royal Prophet, who extolled what was only a figure 
of this Sacrament. Prove your estimation of this 
gift by losing all relish for the vile satisfactions of 
this world. 



Digitized by Ljooole 




SIXTH MEDITATION. 

On communicating with the devotion of Zacheus. 

First Point. — Before Communion. 

O my God and my Lord, whilst the proud Phari- 
sees would not deign even to look on Thee, a chief of 
the publicans is anxious to see Thee ! He does not 
demand a cure for his ills, as others had done — not 
that they were lesser, being maladies of the soul, 
but because, not being yet enlightened, he was not 
conscious of them. It was his curiosity which 
prompted his wish to gaze on a Worker of Miracles, 
not the desire of reverently following Thee. He 
pushes amongst that crowd, but cannot approach to 
Thee — for the rich can with difficulty come to Thee, 
poor as Thou art, and in labours from Thy birth — 
nor did anyone mind him, although he had kept open 
house for them. Finding it impossible to reach 
Thee, he climbed a tree, like the lowest in the crowd, 
not caring what the world might think, but braving 
all to gaze on God. 

Reflect to-day when you are going out to receive 
the Holy Communion that you are seeking for the 
same Lord, that you may know and contemplate 
Him. The accidents of bread which surround Him 



Digitized by Cjooole 




24 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS . 



prevent your beholding Him, and still more do the 
imperfections that degrade you, since you are meaner 
in spirit than Zacheus was in stature. Rise then 
above yourself, ascend the tree of devout contempla- 
tion, climb by mortification the wood of the Cross, 
which is planted in the midst of a lively faith, verdant 
with hope, covered with the fruits of charity, and 
with the eyes of your soul attain to behold Him, 
solicitous of ever contemplating Him. 

Second Point. — At the Time of Communion. 

Zacheus gazed on Thee, O Lord, from the tree, 
with as deep a pleasure as his desire had been to 
behold Thee. His longing eyes were fixed on Thee, 
and Thou didst dilate his heart, that he might more 
lovingly enjoy Thy Divine Presence, and experience 
in his soul its marvellous effects. And when, bring- 
ing Thyself to his level, Thou didst look upon him 
who was thus beholding Thee, Thou didst raise Thy 
Divine eyes, which, whether beheld by man, or 
beholding, were ever full of benignity. Thy loving 
words and wishes followed that look, and calling 
him by name, that he might know that Thou wert 
moved towards him to grant him a great favour, 
‘Zacheus,’ Thou saidst, ‘come down quickly, for 
to-day I must abide in thy house.’ Oh what joyous 
admiration must have been his at such an unexpected 
bliss ! Oh the value of man’s fervour in seeking for 
God ! For he who deemed it a great joy to gaze 
on Thee from afar, comes down from the tree, 
approaches near to Thee, walks side by side with 
Thee, and sits down at the table with Thee ! 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




SIXTH MEDITATION, 



25 



Imagine yourself, my soul, on the tree of con- 
templation, the support of your littleness, desirous 
of seeing and knowing the Lord, and that, calling 
you by name, He speaks to you, saying, * Come down, 
and approach to receive Me sacramentally, for to-day 
it behoves Me to abide in your bosom.’ This day, 
He says, not to-morrow, lest it be too late ; and if 
the Lord says that it is of great moment for Him to 
show mercy, how much more important it is for you 
to receive mercy! Go, then, my soul, and receive 
Him with fervour, that He may not speak to a 
man deaf from ignorance, and wilfully ungrateful 
from slothfulness. 

Third Point.— After Communion. 

With what haste must Zacheus have obeyed ! 
He prostrated himself before the Lord, adoring 
those Feet that had deigned to cross the threshold 
of his house. Well might he have wished that it 
had been a grand palace, to receive so magnificent a 
Guest. He offered whatsoever he possessed, laying 
it all at the Feet of Him Who divided His riches 
with the poor. ‘ One half of my goods, Lord/ he 
said, ‘ I give in alms/ and without doubt from that 
goodwill alone he merited to receive the favour he 
now enjoyed, because he that receives the poor re- 
ceives the Lord, and he that feeds the beggar attains 
to feed upon his God. But when Zacheus found 
himself sitting at table with his Lord, so close to 
Him Whom he had barely succeeded in beholding 
even from afar, what joy he must have felt in his 
soul, how beside himself must he have been, to think 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




26 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS. 



that in his house was the Infinite Goodness Him- 
self! 

Consider, when you find yourself seated at the 
table of the Altar, how much nearer you are to Christ 
than Zacheus was. Not only do you sit by His side, 
but you place Him in your very bosom, hidden within 
your breasts — what joy should be yours at receiving 
so great a favour ; let there be no other joy for you, 
and let your gratitude be such as to awaken in you 
a continual desire of possessing Him, and of re- 
trieving the negligence of the past, and the sorrow 
of having lost so many Communions, by frequently 
receiving Him in future. 

Fourth Point. — In Thanksgiving. 

Zacheus was as thankful as he had been joyful, 
for the humble are ever grateful, since they feel that 
every favour done to them is more than they de- 
serve; how much more did he esteem a favour 
that was so little merited, recounting it with delight 
to his friends, and gaining them all over to God. 
What thanks must he have rendered to his God, 
offering Him all that he possessed, and first of all 
his heart, saying, 4 Lord, from this day when I have 
known Thee, I begin to serve Thee, for this has been 
a change of the Most High, because Thou hast lifted 
me up to bless me, filling my house with good things, 
and my soul with graces.’ 

Consider how much more grateful should you show 
yourself, for if He deigned to enter the house of 
that publican, here He comes into your very breast. 
There Zacheus invited the Lord, but the Lord 



Digitized by L-ooole 




SIXTH MEDITATION . 



2 7 



provides a banquet for you ; there Zacheus offered 
Him his whole house, here you must offer Him your 
whole soul — your understanding to know Him, your 
will to love Him, begging Him to bestow His bless- 
ing upon you, no longer as being the son of Abraham, 
but of that great Father Who lives and reigns for 
ever and ever. 



Digitized by Ljooole 




SEVENTH MEDITATION. 



On receiving Holy Communion with the confidence of the 
woman who touched the hem of the garment of Christ. 

First Point. — Before Communion, 

Consider how this woman had suffered much for 
many years from so great a trial of life, the penalty 
of sin, and finding what little benefit she had de- 
rived from earthly physicians, she to-day applied 
to the Physician from Heaven, providing herself, 
as an introduction, with a rich faith and confidence 
in the power and will of this Lord, knowing that 
with this Divine Physician to give is to ask ; and thus 
she approached Him, saying, ‘ If I should but touch 
no more than a thread of His garment, I know that 
I should secure the thread of my life, slender though 
•it may be.* Oh great woman! Oh great mercy 
of the Lord ! Other doctors touch their patients 
in order to cure them ; here it is the infirm woman 
herself that touches her Physician in order to be 
healed. * I well know,* she said, ‘ His infinite virtue, 
and the greatness of His power, which equals His 
goodness, and He is as merciful as He is powerful 
let me but touch Him and I shall be cured.’ 

Be sensible of the great sickness of imperfections 



Digitized by CjOOQ le 



SEVENTH MEDITATION . 



29 



which afflicts your soul — that flood of passions and 
reflux of sins; conceive a great desire of being 
healed, which is the first disposition required for 
recovering your health. Understand well that here 
you have that same Divine Physician Who cured 
so many sick ; run to Him, then, with a lively faith 
— an heroic confidence ; for your sole remedy is to 
touch and receive Him. 

Second Point. — At the Time of Communion. 

On every side the multitudes pressed around the 
Saviour, and so surrounded Him with loving hearts 
and affections that they prevented this woman from 
approaching to ask of Him face to face the favour 
of health, for great obstacles are always placed 
before those who endeavour to reach to God. Seeing 
this, she must have said, * I do not merit so great a 
privilege as that of speaking to my God and my 
Lord, being only dust and ashes ; but I know that 
so great is His power that if I but touch the hem 
of His garment I shall be healed.* She believed, 
and the Lord effected a cure ; she touched His 
garment, and in that instant she was healed. Many 
others pressed around the Lord and were not healed 
like this one who came to Him with a lively faith 
and lasting confidence, and who not only touched 
Him with her hand, but with her fervent spirit 
touched the tenderest chord of His Heart, which 
was the greatness of His mercies. 

Reflect now, you that approach to receive Him 
in Holy Communion, how much greater is your 
felicity, for you not only touch the border of His 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




30 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS. 



garment, but the whole of the Lord Himself you 
embrace and press round, you hide within your 
breast, and receive Him all entire. Animate, then, 
your faith, enkindle your charity, realize your happi- 
ness, and appreciate this occasion. And now that 
you touch the hem of the sacramental species, arouse 
in yourself a great confidence that you will be com- 
pletely restored to health from all your vices and 
passions. 

Third Point. — After Communion. 

* Who is it that touched Me V said Christ at that 
very moment, and Saint Peter answered : * Master, 
the multitudes throng and press Thee, and dost 
Thou say, Who touched Me V Yes, for though 
many crowd around Jesus, they do not really touch 
Him ; they do not adore with ardour. This one, 
indeed, touched Him in a point where He was most 
sensitive. His infinite goodness ; she with fervour, 
they coldly, and thus the Lord neither feels them 
nor do they feel Him. 

Listen ! for to-day that same Christ asks you, 
* Soul, hast thou touched Me with a lively faith Y 
i Hast thou communicated with fervour, or only 
through custom Y * Who is it that has touched 
Me truly?’ Oh, how many souls that receive Him 
in Communion do not touch the Lord — no, not even 
the smallest thread of His garment ! How many 
communicate without a due preparation, and there- 
fore without deriving any fruit. Their wounds re- 
main unhealed, because they do not touch Him 
with their hearts, and they are not cured because 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




SEVENTH MEDITATION . 



3i 



they do nothing towards being cured ! Draw from 
this meditation a great desire of approaching to 
this merciful Lord, in such a manner that He may 
feel your fervour, and that you may experience His 
favours. 



Fourth Point. — In Thanksgiving. 

Astonished r at what she experienced in herself, 
and at witnessing one wonder after another, this 
woman, full of love and of fear, finding herself 
discovered and cured, at once proclaims her un- 
worthiness and her joy, and returns thanks for His 
mercies. The Lord called her ‘ daughter/ confirm- 
ing His blessing, and bidding her again have con- 
fidence who had derived so much from it. 

Reflect, what thanks should you render to a Lord 
Who does not bestow upon you a mere thread of 
His garment, but His whole body and soul ; per- 
mitting you not only to touch Him, but actually 
giving Himself to you as food. Let, then, the thread 
of His Divine praises be commenced, and continue 
unbroken for all eternity. And when you attain to 
touch this sacramental Lord, provide in such a 
manner a love so reverential that you may remain 
both healed and grateful. 



Digitized by L-ooole 




EIGHTH MEDITATION. 



On the entrance of the Ark of the Testament into the house of 
Obededom, and the many blessings which accompanied it. 

First Point. — Before Communion. 

Consider what terror Oza’s temerity must have 
caused in the minds of the beholders on witnessing 
the dreadful judgment that befell his rashness. 
Terrified at seeing their priest dead, they cried 
out, ‘ If this one is punished for merely touching the 
ark when apparently in danger, what penalties must 
be due for unworthily receiving it ?’ He stretched 
forth his hand, and all the others drew theirs 
back, tremblingly hiding them in their breasts, and 
even the holy King considered his holy palace un- 
worthy to receive so great a guest, judging it 
inadequate for offering such Divine homage as was 
due to it. 

Reflect, that if with respect to the ark, which was 
only a shadow of this Divine Sacrament, the Lord 
was so jealous, demanding for it so great a respect, 
and that it should be treated with so much majesty, 
what reverence, what circumspection, what purity 
can suffice for receiving the immense and infinite 
God contained in this Host ? If the Angels assist 



Digitized by CjOOQle 



EIGHTH MEDITATION. 



33 



around Him with awe, how can you approach 
without fear ? If the purity of the solar rays is 
unfit to serve as its crystal monstrance, how un- 
suited must be the centre of your heart and the 
foulness of your conscience ! Conceive a reverential 
fear and awe ere you enclose within the narrow 
precincts of your breast the whole incomprehensible 
majesty of Heaven. 

Second Point. — At the Time of Communion. 

The king orders that the ark should be taken to 
the house, not of a prince, but of a man full of virtue, 
which is the true nobility, who was great in the eyes 
of the Lord, because he was humble in his own. 
Heaven confirmed the choice by multiplied favours ; 
many were his virtues, but greater was his humility ; 
great were his merits, and equally great was his 
diffidence. He was called Obededom, which signifies 
‘ servant of the Lord,’ it being a great attraction to 
the Divine greatness that he who is to receive Him 
should lower himself as a slave. Humility is the 
tablet which points out the dwelling-house of God. 
Obededom held himself to be the least worthy of all 
persons to receive into his house the ark, yet from 
obedience consented, and thus could proclaim the 
victories attained, though not the mercies received. 
How diligently he must have arranged it, adorning it 
more with virtues than with precious things ; there 
would be no lack of the tender fear of God, nor 
of an humble, modest love. 

Reflect that to-day you receive not into your 

3 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




34 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS. 



house, but into yourself, not the shadow, but the Sun 
itself, though hidden in the clouds of the elements, 
no longer the figure, but the reality of a God, 
actually and truly hidden in this Host How great, 
then, should be your care to adorn the temple of 
your soul with the riches of virtue and the jewels of 
merit ! Remember that to-day the King of Heaven 
ordains that the ark of His sacramental Body should 
enter under your roof, and into your bosom. With 
what dispositions of humility should you receive Him, 
and with what reverential love pay Him homage !• 

Third Point. — After Communion. 

The ark was brought into the house of Obededom, 
who was first favoured by receiving it and after- 
wards enriched with many benedictions. His house 
was not an empty one, but full of devotion, nor was 
the ark itself void, for it was filled with the treasures 
of heaven, which crowned it with every happiness. 
How joyful must Obededom have felt when, expect- 
ing severity, he only experienced favours ! so greatly 
are rewarded obedient services which are offered 
with humility. The Lord repaid him well for his 
hospitality, like the great King He was, Who from 
the place He once enters banishes for ever sorrow 
and misery. 

Reflect what mercies may you not promise your- 
self the day when into your breast enters the true 
ark, not void and empty, but filled with the Divine 
manna of the Body and Blood of Christ, true God 
and Lord ! The ark was the casket, this is the jewel ; 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




EIGHTH MEDITATION . 



35 



the one filled the house of Obededom with benefits 
because it was a figure of this Real Presence of 
God which, with greater favours, and much more 
abundantly, will fill your heart to overflowing. Avail 
yourself of this occasion to ask Him for every gift, 
remembering that here are contained all the treasures 
of God, for this is the rich mine of His grace. Ask, 
then, because you really and truly entertain within 
you the very King Himself. 

Fourth Point. — In Thanksgiving. 

Not the least of the favours received was the 
gratitude which filled Obededom and all his house- 
hold for blessings so great that the fame of them was 
the talk of all Israel. Nothing else was spoken of, 
all proclaiming the blessings of his house, emulating 
his joy, and, if possible, his virtue. Even the holy 
King David was encouraged to carry the Ark into 
his Royal Palace, desiring to be employed in its 
reception and to participate in its benefits. 

Oh you who to-day have communicated, take 
heed that you do not become silent in His Divine 
praises, for gratitude is part of His mercies; and 
seeing yourself more highly favoured than was 
Obededom, prove yourself to be so much more 
thankful, as these graces are a pledge to you of 
receiving greater favours ; and as all in your abode 
have participated in the Divine mercy, let your 
whole being and all your strength be employed in 
praising the Lord, inviting with David all genera- 
tions to join you in singing His praises for all 
eternity. Amen. 

3—2 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




NINTH MEDITATION. 



On approaching to receive the Holy Communion with the 
humility of Saint Peter. 

First Point. — Before Communion. 

Consider that if John merited to receive from his 
Divine Master so many favours on account of his 
virginal purity, Peter also deserved to obtain favour 
by his humility. John was the beloved disciple ; 
Peter, the humble one, was to be the head of the 
Church, superior to them all by his dignity, though 
he abased himself to the feet of all by his humility. 
Whatever occasions served to inflame his fervour, 
his humility caused him to repress his desires ; he 
dared not ask his Lord any questions, and so the 
Lord interrogates him, and whilst others aspired 
after the first places, Peter judged himself unworthy 
even to stand before his Master. The Lord, pleased 
with his lowliness, leaving aside the other ships 
enters into that of Peter ; from it He preaches and 
in it reposes, Peter receiving reproofs, but also 
enjoying special favours. 

Reflect what a good disposition humility is for 
receiving a Lord Who is so pleased with the lowly, 
and when approaching to the Holy Communion 



Digitized by Cjooole 




NINTH MEDITATION . 



37 



endeavour to array yourself with this holy meek- 
ness ; retire into yourself, be convinced of your little- 
ness, that the Lord may advance towards you, and 
that you may enjoy His greatness. Sit down in the 
lowest place at this Divine banquet, and the Lord 
will Himself seat you in the highest. The more you 
desire to please a Lord Who so loves the meek and 
the little ones, the more should you humble yourself. 

Second Point. — At the Time of Communion. 

The Apostles had laboured all the night, and had 
taken nothing, because they were not assisted by 
their Divine Master ; they were in darkness, being 
without His Presence, and toiled in vain, being 
without His assistance; for where He is not, nothing 
works with fruit, or happily. The night of His 
absence at length was over, and the Divine sun arose, 
filling every object with its bright influence. Saint 
Peter opened the eyes of his faith, and at once knew 
himself and his Divine Master ; he acknowledged 
his own weakness, and the power of the Lord, his 
own lowliness, and his Master's greatness. In him- 
self he saw nothing, in God everything, and thus he 
said, * Divine Master, we have laboured all the night 
and have taken nothing ; for without Thee we are 
nothing and are worthless ; but now in Thy Name I 
will let down the nets.' And acting with this con- 
fidence, he obtained his draught with a double 
success, for both the ships were filled with the multi- 
tude of fishes. 

O my soul, you who spend all the night of this 



Digitized by Ljooole 




38 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS . 



darksome life labouring against the current in the 
inconstant waters of this world, where there is 
to be found neither security nor peace, hearken 
to what the Lord is telling you from that Tabernacle : 
‘ Lift up your desires towards true happiness, and 
your bosom will be filled with eternal goods ; cast 
your net towards Me, and you will be nourished with 
My own Body. Look on It with the faith of Peter, 
go comparing your poverty with My riches, your 
timidity with My infinitude, your weakness with My 
omnipotence, your nothingness with My infinite 
goodness, and say to Me, “ Lord, without Thee I 
am nothing, I am worth nothing, and can do 
nothing ”! * 



Third Point.— After Communion. 

Saint Peter, wholly astonished, annihilated him- 
self, feeling himself to be so great a sinner in 
presence of that immense goodness, weakness itself 
before infinite power. Full of humility and self- 
abasement on seeing himself before his Lord, he 
reverently exclaimed : ‘ Depart from me, O Lord, 
for I am a sinful man ; retire from me, for I cannot 
go from Thee,’ which was equal to saying, Who am 
I, and Who art Thou ? Lord, I am a vile creature, 
Thou the Omnipotent Creator; I am ignorance 
itself, Thou art Infinite Wisdom ; I am frail and to- 
morrow cease to be, Thou art without defect and 
eternal; I am a vile worm of the earth, Thou art 
the Sovereign Monarch of the heavens ; I am weak, 
Thou art all-powerful ; I am mean, Thou art 



Digitized by 



Google 



NINTH MEDITATION . 



39 



immense ; I am a poor beggar, Thou, the richness 
of the Father ; I am full of necessities, Thou art 
independent; in a word, I am mere nothingness, 
Thou possessest all things. My Lord and my God, 
how canst Thou endure me in Thy Presence ! 

D my soul, with how much greater reason 
couldst thou exclaim with Saint Peter, and say the 
same as he did ; for if he, being only before his Lord, 
is thus humbled and confounded, what is thy 
condition, who not only standest in His Presence, 
but actually touchest Him with impure lips, receivest 
Him into a sinful mouth, and placest Him in thy 
mean breast, enclosing Him really and truly in thy 
interior ? How is it that thou dost not cry out 
with a loud voice, saying, * Lord, depart from me, 
for I am the greatest of sinners ! How canst Thou 
endure me in Thy sight, my God and my all— I a 
mere nothing, and a sink of nothingness?’ With 
what reverence, what rapture, what confusion, 
should you approach to Communion in view of such 
immense Majesty ! 

Fourth Point. — In Thanksgiving. 

The Lord turns not Peter from His Presence, but 
unites him more closely to Himself, and gazes the 
more lovingly on him because of his humility. He 
denies him not His countenance, but opens His 
heart to him ; and, pleased with his modest diffi- 
dence, He even entrusts him with His treasures, 
His most precious pearls, and what He most values, 
His lambs and the ewes of His flocks. Peter 



Digitized by kjOOQle 




40 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS. 



remained as thankful as he had been retiring, being 
twice confounded at the repeated benignity of his 
Lord, and where he before had denied His Presence, 
now advances proclaiming His praises, repairing by 
humility his former want of confidence with deep, 
heartfelt gratitude for his bliss. 

O my Lord and all my good ! how much more 
indebted do I acknowledge myself to-day than 
Peter was; for Thou dost not only allow me to 
stand in the Presence of Thy infinite mightiness, 
but Thou deignest to reside really and truly within 
my breast — Thou in me, and I in Thee, Who art 
my centre and my every good. Grant me to be 
as punctual in Thy service as Thou art generous 
of Thy favours ; never permit so privileged and 
favoured a bosom to prove itself mean and ungrate- 
ful, and let the confession of my unworthiness be 
a continual proclamation of Thy immense glories. 
Amen. 



Digitized by Ljooole 




TENTH MEDITATION. 



On receiving the Lord with the assiduity of Martha and the 
zeal of Mary. 

First Point. — Before Communion. 

Consider what must have been the joy of the two 
sisters, truly such in relationship and in spirit, 
and what their appreciation of such a favour must 
have been, when they understood that the Lord was 
coming to honour them, and their house, with His 
Presence. With what ardour must the Magdalen 
have awaited that Lord Whom she before had 
sought with such anguish, judging herself highly 
favoured in being received by Him, and who now is 
singularly blessed in being allowed to entertain Him ! 
What preparations they must have made for the 
Guest Whom they were expecting, Whose Majesty 
and greatness they so well knew ! Great must have 
been the adornments of their abode, and more so 
of their hearts — their rich jewels being symbolical 
of their precious virtues. 

Reflect that to-day this same Lord really and 
truly comes in person as a Guest to the castle of 
your heart ; see that you entrust Him with the keys 
of it, namely, your powers and senses, and unite 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




42 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS . 



your will and understanding in rendering service to 
Him with reverence and zeal, preceded by a great 
preparation of adornment with the jewels of virtue, 
a great purity of conscience, and the odours of grace 
and sanctity. 

Second Point. — At the Time of Communion. 

The Divine Master approaches the gates of the 
castle, displaying a celestial affability in His Divine 
countenance. The sisters come to receive Him 
with loving reverence accompanied by all their 
household, so that everyone might be employed in 
serving the Lord. How lovingly must they have 
received Him ! how gratefully have saluted Him ! 
Methinks I see Martha very solicitous, and Magda- 
len endearingly affectionate. With what sovereign 
sweetness must the Lord have corresponded to their 
loving solicitude, placing Himself between them in 
emulation of two Seraphim, both fluttering around 
Him, the one loving and the other serving ! How 
they must have placed Him in their most adorned 
spot, which was the centre of their hearts, and there 
losing no single word of His celestial conversation, 
and of enjoying His Divine Presence. 

Oh you who to-day receive that same Divine Guest 
— for behold He already comes to the door of your 
lips, and to the stronghold of your bosom — let your 
soul, accompanied with all its powers and senses, 
burst forth with joy to receive Him with the solicitude 
of Martha and the devotion of Mary, that, animating 
your faith, strengthening your hope, inflaming your 



Digitized by 



Google 




TENTH MEDITATION . 



43 



charity, you may conduct Him to the adoring centre 
of your heart. 

Third Point. — After Communion. 

The sisters were divided in their different employ- 
ments, though they were both.directed to the Divine 
service. Martha busies herself in preparing the 
material food, Mary remains quietly enjoying the 
spiritual ; Martha prepares the repast, Mary delights 
in the pasture of celestial doctrine, and accustomed 
to being at the feet of her Master, where before she 
had found her pardon, now continues there, soliciting 
consolation, and she remains loving who was already 
penitent. What joy must have been hers when thus 
enjoying His royal, Divine Presence ! how absorbed 
she was in hearing Christ discourse ! How highly 
must she have treasured those words of eternal life ! 
Oh what consolation does a soul experience which 
remains at the feet of this Lord after having received 
Him ! How profitable then is its prayer ! How 
delightful its communications ! 

Martha complains to the Lord that her sister had 
left her to serve alone, confessing the inequality 
of her occupation, which he weighed at its true 
value, and answered with deeply magisterial words : 
‘ Martha, Martha, all your solicitude for the needs of 
the body ends in perturbation, and the only repose is 
that of the spirit ; truly one food only is necessary, 
and that gives life eternal. Well did Mary know 
Which to choose.’ 

Listen, O soul ! for this same Lord is addressing 
to thee the same words. Why art thou busied about 



Digitized by L-ooQle 




44 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS . 



perishable goods ? Why carest thou for the things 
of this world? There is no delight equal to the 
Divine Sacrament. Come to Me and enjoy My sweet 
Presence, receive Me in thy breast and stay with 
Me here, for this is the only happiness of the earth, 
and do not lose the delightful moments of a holy 
and fervent Communion. 

Fourth Point. — In Thanksgiving. 

How grateful must Magdalen have felt at this 
double favour! how disenchanted of her illusions 
remained Martha, being convinced that there is no 
food like the delights of the Lord, feasting upon His 
celestial doctrine, and enjoying His Divine Presence. 
Mary answered not a word, since she was all intent 
upon love and gratitude; for those who, like her, 
thus receive favours from their God care not for the 
injuries received from their neighbours, and those 
who truly love speak with the heart, leaving their 
actions to prove their words. 

Learn, O my soul, to appreciate and be truly 
thankful ; let your sighs be praises, and one Com- 
munion be a grateful tribute to a former one. Speak 
with your heart if you love, and let your only solici- 
tude be to assist and pay homage to the Lord Whom 
you have received. Cultivate a great loathing for all 
human delights, and relish only this Divine food; 
for you have your Lord nearer than Mary had ; for 
not alone does He allow you to be at His feet, but 
He is within your bosom. Acknowledge, then, your 
great favour by rendering greater gratitude. 



Digitized by LjOOQle 



ELEVENTH MEDITATION. 

Joseph’s Banquet to his Brethren. 

First Point. — Before Communion. 

Compare the benignity of Joseph with the cruelty 
of his brethren, who had all conspired to sell him. 
And whom ? — a brother whose tenderness rendered 
him amiable, and his innocence inoffensive. Why ? 
For no fault of his own, but for those of others. To 
whom ? To those who were as hostile as they were 
unbelieving, as much barbarian as they were roaming 
villains. For how much ? For the price and inno- 
cence of a lamb. With what words ? Loading him 
with sarcasms, calling him a sham prince, deluging 
him with reproaches for dreaming that the sun* had 
worshipped him. In what way ? Stripping him of 
his garment — a fine seamless robe. Where do they 
cast him ? Into the desert of an Egypt, into the 
oblivion of a prison. 

My soul, who is the true Joseph, sold, injured, and 
maltreated ? The most benignant Jesus, amiable 
because He is our Brother, and adorable because He 
is our Lord. Who sold Him? You, vile ungrateful 

* Gen. xxxvii. 9. 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




46 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS. 



creature ! For how much ? At the price of a sordid 
interest, of a filthy pleasure ! In what way ? By 
sinning without fear, offending Him without shame ! 
How often ? Each day, every hour, and each instant ! 
Be covered with confusion, with far greater reason 
than were Joseph’s brothers, for to-day you are 
approaching to the Divine Presence, not to the 
presence of a Governor of Egypt, but to that of 
the King of Heaven. If the first was disguised, 
this One is hidden. If the first gave corn, this 
Lord here gives Himself to you as bread. Acknow- 
ledge your treacheries ere you receive His gifts. 
Ask Him to pardon you before He invites you to 
His table ; cast yourself at His feet before He seats 
you at His side ; mingle your tears with His drink, 
and eat the ashes of your penitence with His dainty 
bread. 

Second Point. — At the Time of Communion. 

Consider with how much love this most meek 
Joseph met the hatred of his brothers ; he is not 
satisfied with receiving them into his house, but 
places them in his inmost heart, exchanging the just 
vengeance of offence for the endearments of the 
lover, acknowledging those who would not know 
him, honouring those who had wronged him, folding 
in his loving embrace those who had bound him 
with inhuman cords, and instead of placing a rope 
around their necks, he returns affectionate embraces. 
He enriches those who had despoiled him, and fills 
with gifts those who had offered him nothing but 
insults. With this he awakens them, who had 



Digitized by LjOOQle 



ELEVENTH MEDITATION . 



47 



thought him asleep, so that they adored truly him 
whom they had before despised as a dreamer ; and 
not only does he give them the corn which they 
sought, but he makes them to sit at his own table, 
and feasts them with a splendid banquet. 

O infinite goodness ! O incomprehensible be- 
nignity of the sweetest Lamb, Jesus! In the same 
night in which He was given over to His enemies 
through revenge, He gave Himself to His friends 
as food, returning sweetness in place of bitterness. 
He offered His Blood for the salvation of men who 
were thirsting for that Blood to shed it, and when, 
through malice, they conspired to destroy Him, He 
gave them His Body in a banquet of love. He 
invited to the sweetness of His chalice those who 
were preparing for Him gall and vinegar, seeking 
to place within His very breast those who were to 
open His side with a gash. He took bread into 
those generous hands of His, which were so soon 
to be pierced with nails, and reached forth bountifully 
those arms which were to be stretched out with such 
cruelty. He sweetens with milk and honey those 
mouths which are to spit on His face. Sinner! tell 
me now, can a greater ingratitude be conceived than 
yours, or greater goodness than that of the Lord ? 
Pay homage to these two extremes, throw yourself at 
the feet of so good a Brother, owning your sin and 
soliciting His pardon. He cannot possibly deny it, 
for He gives Himself to you as food. 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




48 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS. 



Third Point. — After Communion. 

Joseph, forgetful of all past injuries, invents new 
favours for his brethren, and when all the land is 
perishing of hunger he treats them to a banquet. 
‘ Eat/ he says, ‘ for I am Joseph ; not an enemy, 
but your own brother ; not angry, but full of mercy/ 
They eat ravenously, he serving them ; and when 
they would have been contented with bread alone 
to satisfy their hunger, they are regaled with delicious 
food. They did not envy his superior abundance, 
but enjoyed its fruits, and the blameless Benjamin, 
being a ravenous wolf, consumed doubly more than 
the others. 

Oh, you who are seated at the table of the Altar, 
recognise your good Brother, Jesus, Who not only 
invites you, but verily gives Himself to you as food. 
He trusts in you, for He comes into your breast, 
piercing into your very furthest interior. Beware 
that you do not turn treacherously against Him by 
again falling into sin ; eat and enjoy the gift, for 
whilst others are perishing of starvation, you have a 
surfeit of delights. Eat with awe, and yet with con- 
fidence, for this table, being that of your Brother 
Jesus, is yours also, and He i£ telling you, ‘I am 
that same Jesus Whom you sold and persecuted; 
I am not angry but forgiving ; come near to Me 
without mistrust, and lay Me lovingly within your 
heart.’ 



Digitized by Ljooole 



ELEVENTH MEDITATION . 



49 



Fourth Point. — In Thanksgiving. 

The brothers must have returned home as grateful 
as they had been satisfied, thankful for the benefits 
received and the injuries forgotten. How they must 
have joyously proclaimed their good fortune ; for 
when they had feared chastisements, they only ex- 
perienced honours and favours ! With what diligence 
must they have gone back to take the good tidings 
to their father that his son Joseph was alive, that 
son whom he had believed to have been torn and 
mangled, and for whom he had so sorrowed ! How 
they must have congratulated themselves and their 
good father, joining with him in thanksgiving and 
praises to Heaven, recounting again and again their 
good fortune, not satisfied that one alone should 
relate it, but one and all joining in repeating the 
story ! 

Soul! he owes more to whom more has been 
forgiven. What thanks should you render to a 
Lord Who so often has pardoned you, and seated 
you at His table ! Take the good news to the 
Celestial Father, and let the new canticles of your 
gratitude reach to Heaven itself, returning over and 
over again to renew your happiness by frequenting 
the table of the Altar. 



4 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




TWELFTH MEDITATION. 



On communicating with the humility of the Publican. 

First Point. — Before Communion. 

Consider how this great sinner prepares himself to 
appear before the Divine Presence : he arms himself 
with humility. Feeling his deficiency in virtue, he 
sinks down into the knowledge of himself in order 
to be able to rise to an infinite height. In himself 
he finds nothing but sins, in God every mercy. 
‘Who am 1/ he says, ‘that I should dare enter 
into the house of the Lord ? I who am so wicked ; 
while He is all goodness : I who am an abomin- 
able sinner, and He so amiable a God ! I am 
indeed a vile worm, and as such will approach to 
His Temple, creeping on the ground. The Lord 
will add all that may be necessary from His house, 
for I have nothing, and can do nothing. A monster 
have I been in sinning, but the Lord is prodigal in 
pardoning ; and being as confident of His bounty as 
I am full of confusion at my own malice, though I 
am but dust and filthy clay, I will enter to-day 
within the doors of His house.’ 

In going in he meets a Pharisee, and is more 
abashed still, feeling himself so great a sinner by 



Digitized by Ljooole 




TWELFTH MEDITATION . 



5i 



the side of one whom he admired as a mirror of 
virtue, deriving from every circumstance a subject 
for humiliation. 

Reflect, you who to-day are ascending to the 
Temple, not only to speak to the Lord, but to 
receive Him, not only to stand in His Presence, but 
to place Him within your breast — you who are so 
great a sinner, with what confusion should you 
approach ! Do not ascend as a Pharisee, but as a 
humble Publican, not walking with the feet of pride, 
but sunk in the knowledge of your lowliness, con- 
fessing your unworthiness and invoking His infinite 
mercy. 

Second Point. — At the Time of Communion. 

Timidly the Publican enters the Temple ; he 
remains afar off through humility, he who had 
estranged himself by sin, and seeks the lowest place, 
considering himself the greatest of sinners, not 
daring even to go near the Pharisee, much less 
approach to God. He chooses a secluded corner of 
the Temple, for he does not wish to appear before 
the world, and even there he judges that he is highly 
favoured, he dares not even look up to Heaven ; 
for he knows that he has sinned against It ; he 
strikes his breast with repeated blows as well to 
punish his guilt as to arouse himself from the 
lethargy of sin, and continues to call out to his heart 
and to Heaven, imploring that both may be softened, 
saying, * Lord, be propitious to me a sinner, as Thou 
art to all/ as though he said, * Lord, I am the 
sinner, Thou the forgiver — great is my misery, but 

4—2 



Digitized by Ljooole 




52 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS. 



greater still is Thy mercy/ ‘ Lord, have mercy on 
me, according to Thy great mercy, and according 
to the multitude of Thy tender mercies blot out my 
iniquities/ 

Contemplate, O my soul, this example of peni- 
tence. If this Publican judges himself unworthy to 
speak even from afar to his God, who are you to 
approach and receive Him ? He remained in a 
corner ; how can you dare to come up to His Altar ? 
He ventured not to lift his eyes to gaze on God, and 
you open your mouth to receive Him ! He struck 
his breast before the Lord, and you take and put 
Him inside your breast. He annihilated himself, 
because he was a sinner, and you, a greater sinner 
than he, are not confounded. What are you doing 
that you do not cry out with a loud voice, saying, 
* Lord, be propitious to me also, though I am the 
greatest of sinners. Lord, great is my confusion, 
greater be Thy pardon ; Lord, in me is all misery, 
but in Thee is all mercy/ 

Third Point. — After Communion. 

Oh powerful humility! consider how agreeable 
that virtue must be to God. The Publican appeared 
to have nothing of good in him but his humility, 
and there seemed nothing evil in the Pharisee but 
his pride. The first was so pleasing to the Lord 
that it attracted Him to where he was ; the other 
offended Him to such a degree that He altogether 
left him. The Pharisee’s haughtiness drove him 
from the highest place, and humility raised the 
Publican from the lowest to the highest, for it is no 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




TWELFTH MEDITATION . 



53 



new thing for pride to turn Angels into demons, and 
for humility to make Angels of sinners. The Lord 
looked on him who had not dared lift his eyes to his 
God, and He withdrew His eyes off from the one who 
was so pleased with himself. Divine grace occupied 
the breast that was so full of confusion, and he who 
was spurned by the Pharisee is admitted amongst the 
Angels. The Publican finds himself with his God 
and Lord within him by grace, receiving Him in his 
heart. How joyfully he adores Him, how lovingly 
embraces Him, how full of bliss he enjoys Him ! 

Soul ! approach with humility to the Altar, for 
thus the Lord desires to be received. There is no 
more fitting reception for such immense greatness 
than the knowledge of your own lowliness. Serve 
Him with diffidence, and you will enjoy Him with 
greater delight ; annihilate yourself to extol His 
greatness, despise your own nothingness, and you 
will obtain every gift. 



Fourth Point. — Thanksgiving. 

With what delight must the Publican have re- 
turned ! Being now thoroughly justified, he who had 
gone up full of sorrow returns home full of consola- 
tion. He spoke little when he asked for pardon, 
much indeed now in thanksgiving. If before he had 
confessed his faults, now he publishes loudly the 
mercies of the Lord, giving great bounds of joy 
with that heart, which had received so many blows 
of penitence, and that breast which had been so 
stricken with sorrow now overflows with delight, 



Digitized by Ljooole 




54 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS . 



returning not by the same path, but by the one of 
virtue, to receive the immortal crown. 

Oh you who have communicated, give thanks to 
God like the Publican for His pardon of your sins ; 
not with the Pharisee, vaunting presumed virtues, 
and making a pompous display of merits, but be 
thankful for mercies received, returning from the 
sacred Communion another being, and by a different 
road, lest if you return by the same way you again 
become the prey of the passions and past vices that 
are lying in wait to assault and devour you. If you 
ascended in tears, return singing joyfully your 
thanks, and bear with you a soul laden with the 
bread of Heaven. Praise and extol a Lord Who 
delights to gaze on the humble. 



Digitized by Ljooole 



THIRTEENTH MEDITATION. 



On the magnificence displayed by Solomon in the building of 
the Temple, and on the great preparations for its dedication. 
Applied to Holy Communion. 

First Point. — Before Communion. 

Consider the majestic grandeur of Solomons 
Temple. The Almighty allowed not David, the 
warrior father, to erect it, but the son who was 
peaceful and learned, it being proper for the wise 
to love peace. Seven years Solomon spent in build- 
ing it, dedicating to the work all his wisdom, the 
greatest that was ever known, and also all his power, 
which was equal to his wisdom. All this magnifi- 
cence of riches, art, ornateness, and majesty was 
employed for the sake of enshrining an ark which 
was only a shadow, a figure, and representation of 
the most Divine of Sacraments. 

Oh, you who to-day are about to place in your 
bosom, not the shadow, but the light itself, not the 
figure, but the reality, not an ark of the testament, 
but God Himself, reflect what a temple of devotion 
you should erect within yourself, what a Holy of 
Holies of perfection and sanctity you should form 
in the midst of your heart ! Solomon employed 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




56 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS . 



seven years in building the material Temple ; do you 
dedicate at least seven hours in preparing your soul, 
for a whole eternity of preparation would be sufficient 
— rivalling with your virtues the precious stones, with 
the fire of your charity the refined gold, substi- 
tuting for the aromatic woods fragrant prayers, for 
the sweet odours sighs, and for the subtilty of art 
the beauty and loveliness of grace. 



Second Point. — At the Time of Communion. 

The festive day of the dedication of the Temple 
at last dawned, that day so venerable and so much 
longed for, when all Israel assembled to render 
homage to their great God. All came robed in gar- 
ments of joy, and clothed with devotion ; the victims 
burned as intensely as their inflamed hearts, and, it 
being a general festival, the great and the little, the 
poor and the rich, all participated in the universal 
consolation. Most distinguished amongst all was the 
pious Prince. Encouraging them by his example, 
he bent both knees on the ground, and lifted his 
eyes to Heaven, steadying with his humility the 
soaring wings of his prayers, which were so effica- 
cious that the Lord was drawn down by his suppli- 
cations. The Temple was filled with a dense cloud, 
a fit veil for the uncreated, inaccessible Majesty. 
The people feeling themselves bathed in consolation, 
acknowledged the Presence of their God and Lord. 

Soul ! with what festive dispositions have you 
prepared yourself on this the day of your com- 
munion ? Remember that your bosom is being 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




THIRTEENTH MEDITATION. 



57 



consecrated as a temple and dwelling-place of God 
Himself. Assemble all your powers on this great 
solemnity, let your heart be a living Holy of Holies, 
where the understanding may soar onward like the 
wings of the Cherubim and the will as an inflamed 
Seraph and your whole soul joyfully extolling His 
Holy Name, and your tongue singing His praises. 
Arise ! for the Lord descends hidden in the clouds 
of the sacramental species into the inmost recess of 
your heart. 

Third Point. — After Communion. 

The Wise King enters in, full of joy and astonish- 
ment, uttering those memorable words, which are 
worthy of being repeated by every communicant : 
* Is it, then, to be thought that God should indeed 
dwell upon earth ? For if Heaven and the Heaven 
of heavens cannot contain Thee, how much less 
this house which I have built ?* Even the bare 
thought is full of awe — God on earth when the 
heavens cannot contain Him ! If the heavens are 
narrow, what must this house be ? 

Oh, with how much greater reason can you cry 
out with a loud voice on this day when you have 
received the great God of Israel into your bosom, 
saying : * Is it possible that my great God deigns 
to come to me, and that His immensity resides in 
my breast ? Do I truly possess Him in my heart ? 
Is this God, and on earth ? God ! and in a heart 
so earthly as mine is, moulded out of clay ?’ Draw 
from this consideration a humble confusion, a holy 
fear, and a grateful acknowledgment. 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




58 



SANCTUARY MEDITA TIONS . 



Fourth Point. — In Thanksgiving. 

It would have seemed, after the performance of 
such eminent homage, that the Wise King had 
well acquitted himself ; but he felt more than ever 
the great obligation that he was under after receiving 
such special favours from this Lord, Who competed 
with him in giving, and always remained the con- 
queror. Solomon saw his work accomplished, being 
honoured with the special assistance of God, and, 
full of wisdom, he was also overflowing with grati- 
tude; and as many times as voices resounded in 
praise in that Temple, so often would be renewed 
his grateful thanksgiving. Nothing else was spoken 
of through the whole of Idumea, and, indeed, in all 
the circle of the globe, but the fame of the great 
God of Israel being as much lauded as it was 
known. 

Ponder, you who this day have received so many 
favours from the Lord, and the Lord Himself of all 
favours, how indebted you are to praise and serve 
Him. Be grateful, if you are wise ; let the echoes 
of your praises resound in your heart ; speak of 
nothing else but of God on the day when you con- 
secrate to Him the temple of your breast, and above 
all, guard that temple from being profaned either in 
thoughts, in words, or in deeds, making it a Holy of 
Holies of perfection, where the fire of Divine love 
may burn for ever. 



Digitized by LjOOQle 



FOURTEENTH MEDITATION. 



On the fountain of living waters which the Lord opened in 
the heart of the Samaritan woman. Applied to the Holy 
Communion. 

First Point. — Before Communion. 

0 my good Jesus, my God, and my Lord, with 
what great thirst didst Thou walk seeking a woman 
who was so well satisfied with her iniquities : vile 
indeed she was, but not unfortunate, for she meets 
with the Source of all happiness. Oh, how much 
dost Thou show, Lord, how greatly Thou dost 
estimate souls ! Thou wouldst have done for that 
one soul what Thou hast done for all. What wonder 
that Thou, Who hadst descended from the highest 
heavens for our salvation, earnest so far to seek her. 

1 am not astonished to see Thee fatigued, for the 
day will come when Thou wilt sweat blood — blood 
which will flow from Thy wounds in streams. But 
how unmindful of Thee does the Samaritan woman 
approach, and how deeply Thou hast her in Thy 
memory, and even in Thy heart. Heedless of eternal 
riches, satisfied with perishable pleasures, she seeks 
broken cisterns, leaving aside the fountains of living 
waters. Little did she think to find true joys in 



Digitized by L-ooQle 




6o 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS . 



One Whose only solicitude was to seek her. She 
came in search of water, symbol of unstable delights, 
and she found the eternal source of grace. O my 
soul ! the same occurs to you to-day. You are lost, 
and seek perishable joys. The Lord is waiting for 
you, not at the fountain of Jacob, but at that of 
the Altar, true and perennial well-spring of His 
Blood and of His graces. Come and approach 
thirstily to those five fountains of life. Allow Him 
to find you, for He is seeking you ; make good use 
of this occasion, and you will extinguish the thirst 
of your desires. Draw from it a true knowledge of 
His mercy and of your own misery, your forgetful- 
ness of Him, and of His loving care of you. 



Second Point. — At the Time of Communion. 

Christ commences to prepare her to receive His 
infinite mercies, and He Who was to give begins 
by asking. He asks of her one drop of water. 
He Who was to shed every drop of His blood 
for her. He demands but little, He Who was 
to bestow so much on her. Oh, how He thirsts 
to give! how great are His desires for communi- 
cating His celestial gifts ! 4 With desire I have 

desired,’ says the same Lord. He hungers for 
what we have a surfeit of. Water He asks for, 
but it is the waters of tears that should wash the 
soul, and cleanse the conscience, wherein He is to 
dwell. He thirsts that we may satisfy our thirst. 

Attend, my soul ! for the same Lord really and truly 
present in this most Divine Sacrament is speaking to 



Digitized by Cjooole 




FOURTEENTH MEDITATION. 



61 



you and saying, * Soul, give Me to drink ; tears I ask 
you for. Take compassion on My thirst, which lasted 
all My life ; give Me not the gall of your ingratitude, 
nor the vinegar of your tepidity. Come, shed at least 
one tear, for so many sins committed, open the foun- 
tains of your eyes for Me Who have opened for you 
those of My Blood.’ Invite your Redeemer with 
tears of bitterness, that He may immerse you in 
an abyss of sweetness. Conceive a great contempt 
for all worldly pleasures, and a great thirst for 
those joys which are Divine, that you may enjoy 
for all eternity this everlasting Fountain of grace. 



Third Point. — After Communion. 

The woman, instead of complying with His request, 
commenced to dispute with our Lord, but far from 
turning away from her, the Lord makes use of this 
moment to favour her. The woman of Samaria 
considers that she has sufficient reason for question- 
ing His right to a little water, and so does every 
soul, when it excuses itself for not serving God. 
Jesus, forgetful of her disservices, and even pressing 
her for our good, replies, ‘ O woman ! if thou didst 
know the gift of God, and Who He is that saith to 
thee, Give Me to drink, and to Whom thou art 
speaking — to Me, perennial Source of all riches, the 
Mine of every treasure, the Spring of true consolation 
— how thou wouldst ask of Me, and I would lavish on 
thee, not a drop of water, but an entire fountain, 
flowing with joys and mercies, bounding up to 
Heaven, and reaching even to life eternal !’ 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




62 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS. 



Listen, daughter, and incline your ear, for that 
same Lord from the Altar is addressing you in the 
same strains. Oh, if you knew ; Oh, if you could 
comprehend this gift of gifts, this mercy of mercies 
that you receive when you communicate; if you 
knew Who this great Lord is Whom you enclose in 
your breast, your only Good, your Remedy, your 
Consolation, your Felicity, your Life, and your 
Centre, the one Who alone can fill your heart and 
satisfy your desires, how you would ask of Him for 
that bread of life ! how you would frequent more 
fervently and oftener that fountain of graces — the 
table of the Altar. Arouse your faith, enkindle your 
love, and take a deep draught of the copious 
fountain of His Blood ; drink with an insatiable 
thirst from those five wounds, and be filled, soul, 
with God, 



Fourth Point.— In Thanksgiving. 

No sooner does the Samaritan woman know her 
Creator and Redeemer, than joyfully she returns, 
and, from a sinner, becomes a preacher ! She turns 
not her back ungratefully on this Fountain, but leaves 
it to return changed, and again to approach it with 
thankfulness. She goes to communicate to others 
the graces which had been imparted to herself, repay- 
ing His mercies in praises, and congratulating her- 
self upon her bliss. She enters the city proclaiming 
in loud tones the found Messias; her bosom bursting 
with joy, she imparts her joy to others — the first- 
fruits of her charity. She no longer calls the seven, 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




FOURTEENTH MEDITATION . 63 

one by one, for a sinful purpose, but she calls them 
all in a body to pay homage to Christ. 

Consider, my soul, how much more grateful should 
you prove yourself to this Lord, Who has bestowed 
on you to-day, not a fountain of water, but all the 
five streams of His precious blood. Remain, then, 
bathed in the abyss of His mercies; be grateful, 
and you will be thankful ; make yourself a pro- 
claimer of His gifts, communicating to all, and with 
all, your great felicity, for it is for this reason that it 
is called the Communion . 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




FIFTEENTH MEDITATION. 



On communicating with reverence like that of the Seraphim who 
stand around the Throne of God. 

First Point. — Before Communion. 

Contemplate that immense majesty of the Infinite 
and Eternal God, Whom the Heaven of heavens 
cannot contain, and, therefore, how much less can 
this earth of earths receive him ! Attended and 
surrounded is He by the winged hierarchy, in com- 
pany with the adoring spirits of the just, some 
being employed in loving, others in contemplating, 
but one and all in praising and magnifying Him. 
Well indeed might your soul fail and faint away, 
with greater reason than did the Queen of the South 
in the terrestrial palace of Solomon. Turn your eyes 
of faith on this most Divine Sacrament, and reflect 
that the same Lord Who sits above on the majestic 
throne of His infinite greatness really and truly is 
here, abridged in this Host of loving simplicity — 
there immense, here contracted ; there His majesty 
demanding reverence, here soliciting from you the 
perfections due to His love. 

Reflect that if you were required to approach Him 
through angelic choirs made visible, passing through 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




FIFTEENTH MEDITATION. 



65 



the midst of the winged hierarchy, with the Cherubim 
and Seraphim standing on either side of your path, 
with how great a fear would you proceed, with what 
timidity ascend ! Consider that to-day this very God 
and Lord you are going to receive in the midst of 
the invisible choirs ; examine diligently and see with 
what preparations you are approaching, on what 
wings of love you are drawing near, and let your 
desire be to rival the Cherubim in knowledge and 
the Seraphim in love. 



Second Point. — At the Time of Communion. 

The glowing spirits ever stand near the Infinite 
Majesty, and they even assist at the very throne 
itself, yet they ever desire to approach closer still ; 
for the greater the knowledge of God, the greater is 
the desire for Him. All on fire are they in the midst 
of this love Divine, and those who are nearest love 
not only permits to be close, but they are intimately 
united, loving much and desiring still more. 

O my soul ! consider your tepidity, compare your 
coldness with that fire, and say, ‘ How dare you 
draw near with your little fervour to a God Who is 
a consuming fire ! Arouse your powers, your under- 
standing to know Him, your will to love Him ; con- 
template Him much, loving Him more and more ; 
for what is not granted to the winged spirits in all 
their greatness is obtained by you in your wretched- 
ness ; for not only is it permitted to you to attend on 
the Lord, as they do, but to touch Him with your 
lips, to receive Him into your mouth, and even place 

5 



Digitized by L-ooQle 




66 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS . 



Him inside your very breast. To the Seraphim is 
conceded the favour of serving around the throne of 
God, and to you the same God ministers as your very 
food. Little, then, need you envy them their know- 
ledge or their happiness, but only the appreciation in 
which they are held, and not the favour which they 
receive.’ 

Third Point. — After Communion. 

The loving spirits conceal their faces, abashed at 
not loving their God and their Lord as much as they 
ought, or as much as they would wish, for their 
capacities are unequal to satisfy their desires ; they 
fold their wings to serve as a veil for their reverential 
fear ; they are ashamed of their unworthiness, and 
are in confusion at being so close to God ; they cover 
their feet, accusing them of being slow, and of detain- 
ing and cramping the movements of their love. 

O slothful soul ! reflect that if the Seraphim con- 
sider themselves unworthy of appearing before the 
immensity of God, and are full of fear, being face 
to face with Him, you, so full of imperfections, if 
not of sins, so cold in His Divine love, so tepid in His 
Divine service, how is it that you are not confounded 
to-day at approaching to receive Him, and to make 
your heart His throne ? The Seraphim, whose feet 
are used to treading on the stars of heaven, deem 
their steps unhallowed, and you, with your feet so 
full of the mire of this world, covered with the dust 
of your nothingness, how can you dare to go near 
to Him ! Be ashamed of your vileness, and let the 
benignity alone of this Sacramental Lord suffice to 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




FIFTEENTH MEDITATION . 



67 



encourage you despite your unworthiness. Supply 
by your humiliations that which is wanting to you 
in goodness, so that you may thus attain to receive 
such great favours. 

Fourth Point. — In Thanksgiving. 

The seraphim, sensible of their happiness, are 
incessant in extolling the Divine greatness, and 
night and day they repeat 1 Holy, Holy,’ the em- 
blazoned motto of Divinity. They intone it in 
choirs, challenging each other to vie in eternal 
praises, paying in continual canticles their debt of 
grateful homage, their voices proclaiming for ever 
the favours of the Lord. 

Learn, O my soul, from these great masters of 
love, how to be grateful ; emulate their burning fire 
by your fervour, striving to equal their worship with 
your reverence; and if the knowledge of your un- 
worthiness keeps you back, let the thought of your 
happiness embolden you ; match against the fiery 
zeal of love the extreme depths of humility, and to 
the height of your flight let the retirement of your 
lowliness correspond, changing the favours received 
into graces, and the infinite mercies into eternal 
praises for all eternity. Amen. 



5—2 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




SIXTEENTH MEDITATION. 

On communicating as at an uncovered banquet. 

First Point. — Before Communion. 

Consider in what manner he who is invited to the 
table of a great prince prepares himself for making 
the best use of the occasion; he does not come 
surfeited beforehand with vile and gross food (for he 
expects exquisite and rare viands), but fasting, to 
give a zest to his appetite, and he even takes some 
exercise to provoke hunger, so that with a healthy 
craving he may eat heartily and with profit. 

Oh, you who to-day are invited to the grandest 
banquet of the greatest of monarchs, reflect that 
here everything ceases to be merely great, and passes 
on into the infinite. The Lord Who invites and the 
banquet to which He invites are both infinite, the 
invited guest alone being finite and unworthy. For 
you all the immensity of God is prepared as food, 
all the greatness of Heaven is bestowed as a gift, 
for the bread is of angels, and the meat is no other 
but the Lord Himself. Approach with your interior 
perfectly disengaged to receive a God Who fills 
everything. Do not sit down full of the leeks of 



Digitized by L.ooQle 




SIXTEENTH MEDITATION . 



69 



the world to eat the bread of Heaven, for in place 
of giving you life, this bread would then cause your 
death ; come free from every sin to this banquet 
which is named ‘good grace.’ Partake not coldly 
of this refection, which is supersubstantial, for if 
you did it would not benefit you ; but come arrayed 
with the flames of fervent prayers, remembering 
that devotion is the sweetness of this delicious pure 
food. 

Second Point. — At the Time of Communion. 

It is usual at entertainments to have the different 
dishes uncovered that the guests may choose, each 
one according to his taste, what best pleases his 
palate ; but when it is a sumptuous banquet in which 
many and exquisite viands are provided, a memo- 
randum is given to each guest of all that is served, 
so that each one may reserve his appetite for his 
favourite dish. 

Oh, you who to-day are seated at the infinitely 
dainty banquet which the power of the Father 
celebrates, arranged by the wisdom of the Son, and 
prepared with the fire of the Holy Ghost, note that 
the precious refections are covered over by the 
accidents of bread. Advance, and with faith pro- 
ceed to uncover and examine each one, that, knowing 
what is laid before you, you may eat to your profit. 
A memorandum is given you of these miraculous 
viands — Memoriam fecit mirabilium suorum. Read it 
with attention and you will find that it says: ‘ Here 
is served a Lamb nourished at a virginal breast, and 
prepared at the fire of His love.’ 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




7 © 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS. 



Third Point.— After Communion.* 

Where tastes differ, there is no disputing, some 
appreciating one thing, others another; this guest 
relishing best the * sweetness of the childhood of 
Jesus, another the bitterness of His Passion ; this 
one the sharpness of His reproaches, that one the 
marvellous points of His expressions, each one 
selecting what seems to him most suitable. More- 
over, in the same manner as those who partake of 
material food linger on the morsel which they relish 
best, saying, * Let us enjoy this food leisurely, that 
we may derive from it profit,’ so should it be in this 
Sacramental Banquet : some with the Beloved 
Disciple lean on the breast of their Master, and like 
eagles feast on His loving Heart ; others, like the 
Magdalen, seek His feet, where they find the pasture 
of their humility ; another with Saint Bernard runs 
to the open Side ; this one, with Saint Catherine, 
clasps His thorned Head ; and there are not want- 
ing those who would fain steal from Judas that cheek 
which he so unworthily used, and which profited him 
nothing because he approached it surfeited with 
wickedness. 

Approach, O my soul, to this feast, and enjoy what 
most delights you, though everything is good and 
well arranged if partaken of with a wholesome 
appetite. But eat, like an angel, the Bread of 
angels ; eat like a rational being, not as a beast, 
unthankfully, for where the Body of the Lord is, 
there are congregated the veritable eagles. 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




SIXTEENTH MEDITATION. 



7 1 



Fourth Point. — In Thanksgiving. 

The delighted guests linger at the table conversing 
with the lord of the banquet, and praising his enter- 
tainment, gratitude not being the least mark of 
thankfulness ; one praises this dainty, another that, 
each guest, according to the delight he experienced, 
extolling the abundance of the repast, lauding the 
arrangements and admiring the gifts, thanking the 
host for his feast, and thus inducing him to speedily 
arrange another for them. 

Soul ! much hast thou here to celebrate. Praise 
God, for thou hast partaken of God ; render Him 
eternal thanks for an infinite refection ; remain in 
prayer, which is to converse with the Lord after the 
banquet, and having received Him, show thy appre- 
ciation of the gift by knowing how to praise Him. 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




SEVENTEENTH MEDITATION. 



On receiving the Lord with the desire and joy of the aged 
Holy Simeon. 

First Point. — Before Communion. 

Represent vividly to yourself this scene in the 
Temple, note with what grace enters into it the Holy 
Virgin, Phoenix of Purity, bringing with her two 
spotless doves, whilst to meet her a swan glides 
softly forth, which, both by the streams flowing from 
its eyes, and by its voice, sings sweetly of its 
approaching death; nor is there wanting even a 
widowed turtle-dove who no longer laments her 
solitude, but prophesies her consolation. Consider 
how Holy Simeon prepared himself on that day for 
receiving into his arms the Lord. It is not said 
that he was aged, but just and fearing the Lord, for 
in His holy service age is not computed by the 
number of years, but of merits ; and fearing , for he 
who is to receive Him must fear Him. His arms 
trembled not so much from age as from the diffidence 
proceeding from his delicate and sensitive conscience. 
Oh, great disposition ! First replenishing with the 
Divine Spirit his soul, ere he takes into his arms 
the Incarnate Word, he hearkened to the answer of 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




SEVENTEENTH MEDITATION. 



73 



the One Divine Person, and thus obtained the favours 
of the other. 

Reflect, my soul, that to-day you are to receive 
the same Child Jesus, no longer wrapped in swad- 
dling clothes, but covered with the sacramental 
accidents. Should you not then prepare yourself 
the whole of your life ? for if the Holy Simeon in 
order merely to press Him once to his breast so 
exercises himself in virtues for many years, how 
can you with so little preparation place Him within 
your heart ? Simeon, to embrace Him once, pre- 
pared himself during many years, and you, who 
receive Him so often, scarcely prepare your soul 
during one single day. 

Second Point.— At the Time of Communion. 

Simeon’s life was swiftly passing, but his hopes 
were strengthened day by day, for Heaven fulfils its 
promise better than does the world. He came to 
the Temple at the instant when the Aurora dawned, 
and opening those eyes weary of weeping, he recog- 
nised the Divine Sun enclosed in the appearances 
of its humanity. He was not satisfied with looking 
once only upon Him for Whom he had so longed ; he 
gazed long and earnestly on that tender Humanity, 
while he adored the Divinity. He saw a little child, 
and adored an Infinite God, venerating in an infant 
a few days old the Prince of Eternity. 

Soul ! understand that you are seeking to-day in 
the Temple the same Child-God. Consider whether 
the Holy Spirit is guiding you, or only custom ; open 
wide the eyes of faith, and you will see a treasure of 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




74 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS . 



wonders : in a small Host an immense God, an 
infinite substance covered with the accidents ; in. a 
morsel the whole of Heaven ; and in daily bread 
an Eternal God— such will you receive. 

Third Point.— After Communion. 

The holy old man, no longer satisfied ytith only 
gazing upon Him, is emboldened after being so 
favoured, and taking courage, changes fear into 
zeal, and that white swan with saintly purity expands 
its wings, soaring to approach nearer, and from being 
content with looking upon Him proceeds to embrace 
Him. He asks of the Virgin to be permitted to hold 
for a while Him whom he had longed to have for 
eternity, and she liberally grants the favour — she 
who, united to God, ever pleads for each one — and 
so into his arms he takes Him which was to encircle 
the whole of Heaven ; accepit eum in ulnas suas. In 
that instant the swan was changed into a seraph, 
alternating tears with fiery darts of love. How 
closely Simeon must have embraced Him ! what 
tender expressions he must have used ! and deeming 
that nothing else was left for him to look upon, he 
contemplates Him with his eyes closed, and having 
nothing more to desire, he asks permission to die, 
for to separate him from that embrace was to part 
him from life. 

Soul ! behold here your happiness, and learn how 
to obtain it. You have the same Christ of the Lord, 
not only in your arms, but within your bosom. Nor 
are you permitted to adore Him only and to kiss Him, 
as was granted to Simeon, but actually to receive, 



Digitized by CjOOQle 



SEVENTEENTH MEDITATION . 



75 



eat, and be nourished by Him. This being your 
bliss, how great should be your consolation ? This 
is the favour of your God, how great then is your 
love ? What more can you desire in this life, after 
having attained to receiving Him in Holy Com- 
munion ? Entreat that you may die to this world 
and live to God, not in the flesh but in the spirit, 
and on this day more than ever let your conversation 
be in heaven. 

Fourth Point. — In Thanksgiving. 

Simeon, deeply conscious of the Divine favours, but 
with little life left to spend in gratitude, and feeling 
unable from his failing strength to render due thanks, 
chooses rather to yield up his life. He could not 
contain himself from loudly publishing the Divine 
mercies, sweetly singing them like a divine swan, and 
bidding adieu to every object which was less than God. 
Not content with remaining alone in his happiness, 
he holds it forth to every land, communicating it to 
all the people as the light of the eyes of all the world 
and the glory of the people Israel. Imitate him to-day 
in gratefulness, you who have communicated ; and 
having exceeded Simeon in bliss — for once only was 
he allowed to hold the Child-God in his arms, whilst 
you are so often permitted to receive Him into your 
breast — be truly thankful. Break forth in new 
canticles, emulating this sweetest of singers, who, 
in closing his eyes to all terrestrial blessings, opens 
his lips to sing the Divine glories. Shut your 
heart to the world, and open it wide for God alone, 
confessing Him in the council of the just and in the 
congregation of the upright ones. 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




EIGHTEENTH MEDITATION. 

On receiving the Lord in the three chambers of the soul. 

First Point. — Before Communion. 

Consider the majestic grandeur of the Infinite 
Guest Whom this day you expect, and you will 
understand how you are to receive Him, and in 
what manner offer Him homage, emulating the three 
costly chambers which a great monarch is related to 
have prepared for his guests. The first was of 
refined silver, the second of burnished gold, the 
third of brilliant precious stones; but though so 
dazzling were the perfections of the materials em- 
ployed, they were not to be compared to the 
exquisite beauty of the art and workmanship, which 
united wisdom with power. Into one of these 
different chambers were the guests received accord- 
ing to their dignity and rank : the nobles in the one 
of silver, the grandees in that of gold, and the 
princes in the one of precious stones. 

Reflect and ponder, O my soul, into which of 
these chambers dost thou propose receiving a Lord 
for Whom the wings of the Cherubim are mean, the 
throne of the seraphim small, and the Heaven of 
heavens narrow ? Perchance in an enlightened 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




EIGHTEENTH MEDITATION . 



77 



mind ? in an inflamed will, or in a grateful memory ? 
— even this would be little — in a fervent breast, a 
tender interior, an enamoured heart? All this. is 
but nothing. In a degree of perfection far surpass- 
ing every other, rising from virtue to virtue ? This 
is insufficient. What, then, wilt thou do ? Clothe 
thyself, as the Apostle says, with the Lord Himself, 
transforming thyself into Him, and let each Com- 
munion be a preparation for the next. 

Second Point. — At the Time of Communion. 

Some of the faithful communicate, receiving the 
Lord in the first chamber, that of silver, but never 
proceed beyond ; they are satisfied with merely being 
in a state of grace, and aspire not to a higher per- 
fection. It is much indeed to be esteemed, this 
cleanliness of conscience, this purity of heart ; for 
a contrite heart stricken with the marks of penitence 
was never despised by the Lord. . 

O my soul, endeavour to acquire, in the first place, 
this whiteness of grace, this purity of justification, 
washing the stains of sin in the strong waters of 
tears, leaving no blot whatever that could offend the 
most chaste eyes of a Guest Who is called ‘ the Holy 
One but you, my soul, be not satisfied with these 
bounds rather of conscience than of the spirit ; 
greater homage is necessary of devotion as well as of 
perfection. 



Digitized by L.ooQle 



78 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS . 



Third Point. — After Communion. 

Purer still and more thoughtful are other souls, 
who dispose themselves to receive this great Sacra- 
mental King in the chamber of the gold of an ardent 
charity, making of their hearts a furnace for a God 
Who comes to cast fire, and which, being a con- 
suming one, consumes imperfections and enkindles 
hearts. 

Consider whether you have up to this day received 
this Infinite Guest in the golden chamber of perfect 
love. Let the icy coldness of your heart be melted 
in view of this loving fire, your tepidity changed into 
red-hot gold. Inflame your will, purify every affec- 
tion, and let there shine through you an intense 
love for Jesus in the Sacrament. 



Fourth Point.— In Thanksgiving. 

Be not satisfied. Further still must the soul 
reach ere it receives this Lord in the chamber of 
precious jewels, and, if it were possible, in one 
formed of stars, embellishing the gold of charity 
with every virtue. Some souls receive their Lord in 
the midst of the dazzling diamonds of courage, with 
firm and efficacious purposes of sooner dying than 
committing the least wilful imperfection, surrounded 
by the emeralds of hope and of patience, not only 
enduring adversities with resignation, but with joy 
and consolation ; amongst the topazes of mortifica- 
tion in all things and in every place, and in the 
midst of the peerless pearls of angelic purity; in 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




EIGHTEENTH MEDITATION . 



79 



the radiant carbuncles of the greater glory of God, 
in the centre of burning rubies of doing always 
what is most perfect, in brilliant jewels forming 
seraphic flames, never ceasing to aspire to greater 
love and a more perfect knowledge. 

O my soul, may you receive Him in this chamber 
and with this perfection, crowned with virtues, filled 
with gifts, all enraptured and transformed in the 
Lord. Amen. 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




NINETEENTH MEDITATION. 

The feast of the five loaves applied to the Sacred Communion. 

First Point. — Before Communion. 

Meditate to-day how the crowds followed the 
Lord, not only strong men but weak women and 
tender children — for it belongs to all to serve God 
and to reign with Him. So delighted were they at 
listening to His celestial doctrine that they were 
quite forgetful of material food, so that three days 
of fasting preceded its reception, that with greater 
profit and pleasure they might receive this miracu- 
lous nourishment. Their hunger gave them a zest, 
for that which they received passed into interiors 
free of all terrestrial food — in a desert, not in the 
midst of the noisy market-place, the Lord arranges 
the feast. 

Reflect, my soul, that if such preparation was 
requisite for that miraculous bread, what prepara- 
tions can suffice for approaching to partake of the 
bread which comes down from heaven — that super- 
substantial Bread? Let its reception be preceded 
by abstinence from all vile mundane delights. 
Approach with a virginal palate, and with a dis- 
burdened interior, the exercise of virtues and the 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




NINETEENTH MEDITATION . 



81 



labours of mortification serving to give a zest to 
your hunger. Practise a great retirement from 
men, so as to be able to relish the bread of angels, 
communing with God, which is to live in God. 
All these dispositions should you bring with you 
to obtain the possession of this Divine Bread with 
delight of spirit and profit to the soul. 

Second Point.— At the Time of Communion. 

The Lord was careful of those who had so for- 
gotten themselves. Having proved their faith, He 
crowned their confidence. After giving them the 
support of their souls, which is holy doctrine, He 
attends to the wants of the body by giving them 
food — for He Who feeds the lowest worms of the 
earth will not forget the children of His affections. 
He consults with the Apostles, the ministers of His 
table and the dispensers of His graces. A boy was 
found who had five loaves and two fishes ; a child 
he must have been, the temptations to gluttony 
being as natural to childhood as temptations to 
vanity are to an older period. Yet this must have 
happened through the foresight of one of the 
disciples having regard for the Celestial Master, 
Who would not allow of any other delicacy to be 
provided but a barley loaf — He Who so bountifully 
provides for all His creatures. 

Consider, O soul, how much less it costs you than 
it did the multitudes to find the Celestial Manna. 
You have not to travel into the desert as they did, 
weary and footsore, but in every place you have it ; 
and if this Bread were to be bought at the price of 

6 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




82 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS. 



money, we would fain ask St. Philip its priceless 
worth. It is»not, however, obtained with gold, but 
at the price of desires and love ; free of all cost is it 
given you. Know and appreciate your happiness, 
for the Lord .regales you not merely with bread, but 
with His own Flesh and Blood, which are the 
delights of kings. 

Third Point. — After Communion. 

In the midst of that country, encircled with count- 
less multitudes of people, stood the Lord, the centre 
of their hope and confidence, and the delight of 
their heart. He bids the Apostles tell them to sit 
down, that they might eat in good order, and with 
peace, seated on the grass — not so much for comfort 
as to dispel the illusion of human frailty. He took 
a loaf into His hands and raised His eyes to Heaven, 
to teach us to acknowledge that every good gift 
comes from above. He blessed and divided it, and 
then the pieces were multiplied by thousands, both 
His hands seeming to be two perennial fountains of 
bread, which the Apostles unceasingly distributed as 
quickly as it came from His hands. The bread 
being miraculous, how delicious it must have been ! 
The guests being hungry, with what delight must 
they have partaken, as much astonished at the 
prodigy as that the food was savoury ! 

Imagine yourself invited to-day by the same Lord 
in the midst of the wide fields of His Church, and 
that in the centre of the crowds of the faithful you 
approach to participate of this miraculous bread. 
Consider how much more delicious and more 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




NINETEENTH MEDITATION. 



83 



savoury is the food of which you partake ; for if that 
bread came as it did from the Hands of Christ, in 
this are contained His own miraculous Hands them- 
selves ; the multitudes ate the bread of the Lord, 
and you receive the Lord Who gives the bread. Eat 
with delight, for It is given you with love ; receive It 
frequently, for It is communicated to you most 
abundantly, and if you would have partaken of a 
single morsel of that wonderful bread with unspeak- 
able delight, approach to receive this with much 
greater joy, for you come to taste the sweetness of 
the whole of the Lord Himself. 

Fourth Point. — In Thanksgiving. 

So gratefully did the well-satisfied guests feel, that 
they wished to make Christ their King, for such 
princely actions merited great thanks from His 
subjects. They had found in Him a physician, and 
now they saw in Him a Father, having a house full 
of bread. They judged He was born to be their 
Prince and they were not deceived, for no other 
would be found with more bountiful hands or a 
larger heart. 

Soul, what gratitude do you show to a Lord Who 
has thus provided nourishment, not only for one 
day, but for the whole of your life ? How often have 
you found in Him your Physician ! How many 
times have you experienced in Him the love of a 
Father ! Pay homage to Him to-day as your King 
and Lord, offering Him eternal vassalage. Renounce 
the tyrannies of Satan ; die to sin and live to grace, 
subjecting yourself to the Infinite Majesty for all 
ages. Amen. 

6 — 2 



Digitized by L-ooQle 




TWENTIETH MEDITATION. 



The finding of the honeycomb by Samson applied to the Holy 
Communion. 

First Point. — Before Communion. 

Consider that the tearing of a lion to pieces pre- 
ceded the finding in its mouth of a luscious honey- 
comb, to show how necessary it is first to overcome 
difficulties if we desire to obtain the fruits of victory, 
changing the bitterness of mortification into the 
sweets of reward, for thus it occurs daily in the 
exercise of virtues. Patience is tyrned into peace, 
tears are changed into laughter, afflictions into con- 
solations, fasting into health of body and soul, and 
virtues which appear formidable as lions, when once 
they are tasted, prove delicious honeycombs. But 
how well did Samson prepare himself for obtaining 
the prize, how courageous was he in the encounter, 
how silent on the achievement, how liberal of the 
prize that he found, well meriting to find in it every 
sweetness. 

Consider, my soul, that if to-day thou art come to 
enjoy the sweetness of the Divine honeycomb, so 
much the more delicious as it is so much the more 
marvellous, the bread of angels, and honey, worked 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




TWENTIETH MEDITATION . 



«5 



by the bees of heaven, hidden in virgin wax, the 
chosen amongst thousands, selected of the flowers 
of virtues, thou must prepare thyself first to combat 
with nothing less than lions, for thou must break in 
pieces thy king of vices, thy predominant passion, 
the one which so often has done thee great injury. 

Second Point.— At the Time of Communion. 

The royal beast attacks Samson in the open road, 
where the faint-hearted fear most, and would fain 
turn back from the work which they have com- 
menced ; but the Nazarite, being so mortified, took 
courage, and being accustomed to overcoming diffi- 
culties, boldly entered upon the contest — this brave 
resolution of taking hold of the lion by the throat 
being very important — and he broke the animal’s 
jaws in punishment of its intention of devouring 
him. 

Reflect, you who are striving to follow the path of 
virtue, and frequenting the sacred Communion, that 
you will be assailed by frightful difficulties. The 
infernal lion of sin will attack you to devour you 
before you partake of that honeycomb full of the 
sweetest honey of the Divinity, and even should he 
be unable to turn you from your good intentions, he 
will endeavour to distract you, and deprive you of 
the sweetness of devotion, and cool the ardour of 
your fervent desires. You will be, perhaps, more 
tempted than ever on the day of your Communion. 
Resolve not to be overcome, but with valiant reso- 
lution trample under foot every impediment. 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




86 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS . 



Third Point. — After Communion. 

Once again Samson returns to the road in quest 
of the lion to renew the joys of victory. He sought 
the strong and found what was sweet ; he expected 
to meet a lion and found a honeycomb. This gave 
him great joy, although he was struck with wonder 
at the sight. He shrank not with awe nor did he 
show contempt, but taking it from the very throat of 
the beast, he put it into his own mouth, and tasting 
its sweetness, he was pleased with its deliciousness, 
and enjoyed the fruit of his labours. He invited his 
mother to the feast and those who accompanied her, 
not so much to boast of his valour as to communi- 
cate to them what he had found. 

Approach to-day, my soul, to the fierce lion of a 
difficulty overcome by virtue, of a temptation broken, 
and if you would consider it in a more mysterious 
manner, approach to the dead Lion of Juda, and 
take the sweetest Sacramental Honeycomb from 
that Mouth which was once embittered with gall. 
Take It from that torn bosom, taste and see how 
sweet the Lord is, receive It with devotion, and you 
will taste in It every sweetness and delight, relishing 
the milk and honey that flow from the tongue of the 
Divine Spouse. 

Fourth Point. — In Thanksgiving. 

The valiant Nazarite was so proud of his good 
fortune, and so pleased with his marvellous honey- 
comb, that he made a boast of its sweetness, and to 
celebrate the event more solemnly, he propounded a 



Digitized by L.ooQle 




TWENTIETH MEDITATION. 



8 7 



mysterious riddle, offering prizes to those that could 
solve it, as a feast of the intellect. 

O happy soul, let this Sacramental Honeycomb be 
your standard and your joy, celebrating it for your 
greater glory, giving thanks to the Lord in praises. 
Let your gratitude prove that you are enjoying Him, 
showing the mellifluousness of your tongue by the 
sweetness of your canticles, singing the glories of the 
Lord with a mouth which has been sweetened with 
His Body and Blood, and sending up to Heaven the 
praise of a Bread that came down from above. 



Digitized by Ljooole 




TWENTY-FIRST MEDITATION. 



The banquet of Simon the leper and the penitence of Magdalen 
applied to the Sacred Communion. 

First Point. — Before Communion. 

Contemplate to-day how lovingly the Lord accepts 
the invitation of a leper, and thereby heals a sinner. 
He is not attracted by the delicacies offered by Simon, 
but thirsting for the bitter tears of Magdalen. He 
is the invited one, and Magdalen is His guest, 
who, the instant she knew the Lord, also knew her- 
self, His grandeur and her lowliness, His love and 
her coldness. She compared Divine goodness with 
her human ingratitude, and she who so sought to be 
loved no sooner became conscious of His Infinite 
Love than she gave herself up to It, and learning 
where the Divine loadstone of her soul was, not 
caring what men might think, but only what God 
would say, she despoiled herself of every profane 
ornament to clothe herself in penance, the livery 
of Heaven, which is the immortal stole. In this 
manner, pierced with love and wounded with sorrow, 
she flies seeking her beloved. 

Reflect how well this novice in discipleship pre- 
pared herself, and what great dispositions she had 



Digitized by L.ooole 




TWENTY-FIRST MEDITATION . 



89 



for inviting herself, not to the delights of the feast, 
but to the sighs of her heart. Contemplate thyself, 
my soul, covered with sins, despoiled of grace. How 
then shouldest thou dispose thyself to enter into the 
feast, no longer of the leprous Simon, but of the 
delectable Jesus in the Holy Sacrament. Make, 
then, a brave resolution of renouncing the world 
and all its pomps, and in garments of penitence 
cast thyself at the feet of that Lord Who so mercifully 
awaits thee in this banquet. 

Second Point. — At the Time of Communion. 

Christ sat at meat when that sinner, hungering 
for Him, weary of the poison of her sins, came in 
to offer to the Lord her tears. She entered without 
knocking, called by the impulse of grace, and though 
any time or instant is proper for approaching to God, 
she judged the moments of a feast more opportune 
for obtaining mercies in the midst of delights. She 
dares not meet Him face to face, for she feels that 
she deeply offended His countenance, and her own 
is covered with shame and with sin ; so she comes 
behind His back, that back which she has so torn 
with the stripes of her iniquities, and falls at the feet 
of the Divine Hunter of souls, wounded by the dart 
of love. 

Soul, follow this Magdalen, for thou hast no lack 
of sins. Go full of repentance ; go with her in 
tears, for thou hast exceeded her in offences. 
Thrust thyself into this banquet of the Altar, far 
more abundant and delicious than was that of the 
Pharisee, and where thou wilt not be slighted, but 



Digitized by CjOOQle 



90 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS . 



be gladly received and welcomed, not sweeping the 
floors, but treading on Heaven. Ask Magdalen to 
spare thee one of Christ’s Feet, that thou mayest 
bathe it whilst she washes the other with her tears. 
Learn from this disciple of the Lord lessons of 
penitence, joining now thy sorrow with hers, that 
she may accompany thee in thy consolation here- 
after. . 



Third Point. — After Communion. 

Magdalen shed a sea of tears to free herself from 
the abyss of her sins, watering the feet of Christ 
with her bitter tears, wiping them ,with her hair, 
and saluting them as many times as she had sinned, 
giving herself up completely to her Beloved. She 
who had denied Him everything now gives up to 
Him all her powers and senses, and, more than all, 
her heart. She bathed His Feet in the two fountains 
of her eyes, pressing them to her lips, holding them in 
both her lovely hands, and with her fair locks wiping 
them, consecrating to God all that she had formerly 
in every way so profaned. 

Reflect, O you who have communicated, on your 
greater happiness and your lesser merits, for if 
Magdalen held the Feet of Christ, you receive Him 
whole and entire. v Not only do you, like her, hold 
Him in your hands, but heart to heart ; she offered 
Him her tears, the Lord invites you to His Blood : 
she wiped His Feet with her hair, you entwine Him 
within your heart. Employ, then, your soul and all 
your powers to serve Him the day you receive Him, 
adoring Him the livelong day. 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




TWENTY-FIRST MEDITATION. 



9i 



Fourth Point. — In Thanksgiving. 

The Pharisee censured Magdalen for what she was 
doing, not for what she had done, the world ever 
being a censurer of virtue and an advocate of vice. 
But with far different eyes from those of the world 
did the Lord look upon her, for He began to relate 
to the guests the services of Magdalen, and to make 
them conscious of Simon’s omissions. * Thou/ He 
said, 4 gavest Me no kiss, and she all this time has 
not ceased to kiss My Feet ; thou gavest Me no water 
for My Feet, and she with her eyes has served Me ; 
thou didst not spend even a drop of oil on My 
Head, and she has poured on My Feet most precious 
balsam; thou gavest Me no towel with which to 
wipe My Hands, and she has wiped My Feet with 
the beauteous tresses of her golden hair.* 

Listen, soul ! For that same Lord is telling thee the 
same to-day, when thou hast received Him, not only 
into thy house, but into thy breast. Soul ! thou 
gavest Me not the kiss of peace, after so many of 
treachery and of sinful hostilities ; thou hast shed 
no tear of tenderness, whilst I am washing thee in 
My very Blood. What little fragrance of virtues 
hast thou yielded, and how cold, deficient and gross 
hast thou been ! Exchange your shortcomings into 
gratefulness, for you have exceeded Magdalen in 
receiving greater favours ; endeavour, then, to equal 
her in her love. Hear what Christ is telling you : 
4 Go in peace, for thou art in My grace, thou whom 
I had hitherto considered as lost/ and do thou answer 
Him thus: 4 My God and my Lord, sooner would I 
lose a thousand lives than offend Thee again.’ 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




TWENTY-SECOND MEDITATION. 

On the lost sheep found and regaled with the Bread of Heaven. 

First Point. — Before Communion. 

Contemplate this simple lamb deceived in her 
pleasures, and carried away by her desires; how 
she separates herself from the flock, and is removed 
far from her Shepherd, being lost when most pleased, 
satisfying her appetite in the verdant pastures of her 
delights, and saying, Let there be no ground that I 
may not pass and repass, delighting my tastes. Oh, 
how she exchanges the securities of grace for the 
evident risks of sin ! and forgetful of the loving 
tenderness of a good Shepherd who defends her, she 
exposes herself to the dangers of being devoured by 
wolves. 

Reflect, O my soul, on the many times that you 
have done the same. In you is verified the parable, 
and the infernal wolf is in your soul ; you are that 
sheep, as simple as it was erring; you left the 
pleasant meadows of grace to dwell in the shadow 
of death, leaving the Good Shepherd, Who purchased 
you with His life, and marked you with His Blood, 
to follow a cruel lion, who seeks you only to devour 
you. Be enlightened, and see your error ; acknow- 



Digitized by L.ooQle 




TWENTY-SECOND MEDITATION . 



93 



ledge your danger, bleat that your Pastor may hear 
you, call Him with the voice of your sighs, and 
striking your breast, appeal to Him for mercy with 
the murmur of your sobs. 



Second Point. — At the Time of Communion. 

As soon as the watchful Shepherd misses His 
thoughtless lamb He turns the peace of His hut 
into anxiety and solicitude to find her. Behold He 
cometh ‘ leaping on the mountain, skipping on the 
hills/ and she is in the valley of her sin. Oh, what 
sorrows are her pleasures costing Him, what bitter- 
ness her sweetnesses, what gall her honeycombs! 
He walks amongst thorns whilst she is wandering 
amongst flowers ; He is without food and she is 
revelling in her pasturage. The thorns and brambles 
are tearing His garments even to making Him bleed. 
He tarries not until He reaches the top of the moun- 
tains, the better to see and discover her. He tears 
off His robes and climbs a tree, where, placed on its 
highest point, He extends His arms on two branches, 
and from thence hangs, holding on with great pain. 
He commences to call her with loud cries, and even 
with tears; the heavens hear Him for His reverence, 
but the lamb renders herself deaf in her obstinacy. 
At length, feeling that He can no longer speak, He 
inclines His head, making signs to her, for He will 
sooner cease to live than cease to call her, and not 
content with this, He suffers His breast to be opened 
to show her His loving Heart. 

O soul ! O lost sheep ! how long will the hardness 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




94 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS. 



of your heart continue? Recognise your Divine 
Shepherd and appreciate what you are costing Him. 
For you He left heaven, and descended to the earth ; 
He sweated blood ; with stripes His shoulders were 
scourged, and with thorns His brows were pierced ; 
He was loaded with the Cross, and fell with it, borne 
down under its weight ; He ascended Calvary, and 
they cast lots on His vesture ; naked He climbed the 
tree of your remedies, there extended His Arms. Do 
not you hear Him, how He calls you with sighs and 
with tears? Behold! He bows His Head, and per- 
severing in calling you, He opens His Side to show 
you His Heart. Quit now the base pleasures of this 
wretched earth, that you at length may enjoy the 
delicious pasture of the Altar which is the paradise 
of the Church. 

Third Point. — After Communion. 

The Good Shepherd, having found His lost sheep, 
returns from death to life, and with what tenderness 
does He receive her into His Arms, which had been 
ever open for her. He chides her not angrily, but full 
of compassion, embraces her, and taking the delicious 
bread from His bosom, invites her with it, and confers 
it with His right hand. From His Arms He places 
her on His Shoulders, and if before He had been 
heavily laden with the weight of her sins, now, 
solaced with her sweet weight, He takes her to the 
secure fold, and joins her to the other ninety-nine. 
How full of joy does He go with her, and how happy 
is she with Him. ‘ My Beloved to me, and I to my 
Beloved,’ she says, ‘all entire, and with a whole 
heart.’ 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




TWENTY-SECOND MEDITATION. 



95 



Consider yourself to-day, my soul, favoured by the 
Divine Pastor, clothed with the white robe, and 
regaled with the Bread of Heaven — for He is both 
your Shepherd and your pasture. With blood He 
redeemed you, and with blood He nourishes you. 
He takes you on His Shoulders ; do you carry Him in 
your bosom ? He tears open His Side ; do you 
place Him within your breast ? Partake with delight 
of this Bread, which came down from the bosom of 
the Father; feed on Him, and you will know the 
difference between this Food of Angels and the vile 
food of beasts. 

Fourth Point. — In Thanksgiving. 

Bleating goes the found lamb, returning thanks to 
her Good Shepherd, and publishes with loud cries 
His favour, saying, ‘ O my beloved Pastor, oh, how 
much do I owe Thee ! oh, who could repay Thee ? 
Other shepherds eat their sheep, and I eat my 
Shepherd ; they shear them to clothe themselves, 
and Thou despoilest Thyself of Thy garments to 
cover me ; they flay them, and Thou remainest torn 
to cure me ; they drive them with crooks, and Thou 
placest me on Thy shoulders ; others cripple them, 
and Thou healest me ; others hurl their sheep down, 
whilst Thou carriest me.’ 

What thanks can I render Thee, my Lord, for so 
many mercies ? May my fervour correspond with 
Thy favours ; may I sing for all eternity a new 
canticle, joining my cries to those of the celestial 
flocks who are praising and lauding Thee for all ages 
of ages. Amen. 



Digitized by 



Google 



TWENTY-THIRD MEDITATION. 



On the bad preparation of the man who was cast forth from 
the banquet. 

First Point. — Before Communion. 

Consider the care which those guests who were 
invited bestowed in fitly adorning themselves to 
appear before the Royal Presence. Knowing that it 
was a king who invited them, they were not satis- 
fied with any common raiment, but procured the 
greatest in life, that of the wedding-day, showing by 
their vesture the estimation in which he was held, 
exterior ornateness being an index and even a proof 
of the interior, no ordinary ornamentation being 
sufficient fora day so solemn as that of being invited 
by a king. It was necessary that it should be even 
precious and rich enough for royal eyes, which are 
accustomed to beholding great wealth. So these 
guests came in bridal array that they might be 
admitted with courtly honours. 

Soul, to-day thou art invited by the greatest King 
to the grandest of all banquets ; consider well the 
obligation of adorning thyself. It is not sufficient to 
come neatly attired, but richly. It is not enough to 
approach free from the stain of sins, but yielding 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




TWENTY-THIRD MEDITATION . 



97 



the fragrance of every virtue, any indifferent robing 
being inadequate for Divine Eyes, which are used 
to beholding the vesture of Angels. Endeavour, 
then, to come in clothed in grace to sit at the royal 
table. 

Second Point. — At the Time of Communion. 

The guests being fitly arrayed and all seated 
according to their rank, there attempted to come in 
and take a seat amongst them one not having on 
a wedding-garment, and with as little timidity as he 
was unadorned, for audacity is the venture of vile- 
ness. He, with unwashed face and soiled hands, 
smelling too of the vile odour of uncleanliness, 
enters that chamber which was a type of heaven 
with as much hardiness as the guests felt sorrow, 
and as the black crow introduces himself amongst 
the snow-white swans. The guests made no remark, 
being spotless, leaving the duty of reproof to the 
master of the house. The intruder judged, like 
a fool, that the King would not see him, as He sat 
behind the curtains, or that, being merciful, He would 
overlook his audacity as he had passed by his faults 
so often. But he was mistaken, for insults offered 
face to face, and offences so patent, are not allowed 
to go unpunished, if only for an example. 

Ponder with fear on such a mean outrage, no 
longer attempted by another, but by thy own 
self ; imagine that thou already feelest the sharp 
knife on thy neck. When thou comest to sit at the 
table of this Prince, do not approach clothed with 
thy passions, do not come with the stain of sin, 

7 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




98 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS . 



view thyself in the mirror of others, and in the clear 
crystal of a faithful examen prove thyself, for thou 
art man ; do not confide in the fact that the King is 
hidden behind the curtains of the accidents, for He, 
being jealous as a spouse, watches ensconced within 
the screens of His concealment, and from behind 
the lattices of His observations. 



Third Point. — After Communion. 

All the guests were ready and seated, desiring to 
enjoy the dainty viands of the royal table, when the 
King in person entered in, not trusting to other than 
His own eyes the inspection of this feast. Inspect- 
ing all the guests, one by one, He noticed amongst 
them an individual who was different from the 
others, and therefore rendered the more remarkable. 
Offensive and disgusting as he was by his loath- 
someness, he was even more so by his boldness ; 
but the King, tempering his indignation with good- 
ness, said, * Friend, how earnest thou here ; thou, 
and in this place, and without a nuptial garment ?* 
He called him ‘ Friend,’ comparing him to the 
first traitor who profaned this table. The hapless 
one had no answer to make, so clearly convicted 
was he, for he eats his own judgment whosoever 
without judgment eats at this table ; for here is the 
Judge and the judgment, and, no further proof 
being necessary, the sentence was in that instant 
fulminated, that he should be turned away, and be 
thus chastised with the greatest of all punishments, 
the privation of beholding His countenance, he 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




TWENTY-THIRD MEDITATION. 



99 



being cast forth for his unworthiness into exterior 
darkness. 

O thou who art seated at the table of the Altar, 
consider and take heed, for the same misery may 
befall thee. Listen to the Divine King, for He speaks 
to thee : ‘ Friend, how hast thou dared to enter 
here, thou, an unworthy sinner, into the chamber 
of purity itself, and the very centre of sanctity? 
What has become of the adornment of virtue? Where 
didst thou leave the garments of grace ? What sayest 
thou ? What answer dost thou make ? Art thou also 
struck dumb ?’ 

Oh how confused must the unprepared guest have 
felt between those two bitter cups of gall, dishonour 
and hunger ! Reflect, then, and derive from this 
meditation a well-prepared admonition, and a rever- 
ential fear, ever seeking to draw a large disposition 
of graces, that you may not fall into the greatest of 
all misfortunes. 



Fourth Point. — In Thanksgiving. 

How rejoiced must the other guests have felt at 
their happiness ! How they must have raised their 
hands to Heaven, rendering reiterated thanks to the 
King for His banquet ! How they must have praised 
Him ! 

Attend now, and give thanks to the Lord Who 
holds you by His hand ; consider that in the hands 
of God is your lot ; do not be struck dumb through 
guiltiness, but praise God Who pardons you, and as 
you value your happiness, thank Him for His mercies; 

7—2 



Digitized by L-ooQle 




IOO 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS. 



sit at His table as a welcome guest, and not as one 
who ought to have been reduced to ashes by the 
lightning of His wrath. Sing as one who has been 
sumptuously entertained ; and being well satisfied, 
praise a Lord Who granted you to finish this 
banquet in peace, and Who fed you with the fat 
of wheat. 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




TWENTY-FOURTH MEDITATION. 



On the happiness of Miphiboseth at being seated at the royal 
table — applied to the Holy Communion. 

First Point. — Before Communion. 

Consider the astonishment it must have caused 
Miphiboseth to be summoned by King David to 
come and sit at his side, and eat from his own table. 
His mind must have revelled with delight, and his 
humility have marvelled at seeing himself so 
honoured by royal favour, he who was so disfavoured 
by nature, and had been dispossessed of his fortune, 
the son of a prince who had passed away, poor, 
forsaken, and forgotten because he had been de- 
prived of his property, lame in body, and broken in 
spirit, on account of so many imperfections, as well 
as so many humiliations. He must have compared 
the greatness of the King with his own lowliness, 
saying, ‘Am I, who have nothing to put into my 
mouth, to sit at the royal table, with a King to 
help me, when no one would demean himself to 
serve me?’ And shrinking into himself because of 
his unworthiness, yet encouraged, seeing that the 
King so honoured him, ‘ What must I appear/ he 
said, ‘so full of imperfections, in the midst of so 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




T02 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS. 



much grandeur ! But, at least, his great goodness 
will supply for my unworthiness.' 

Imagine thyself another Miphiboseth, with far 
more imperfections in thy soul than he had in his 
body, ever lame in the Divine service, malformed by 
sin and bent to the very earth, son and grandson of 
parents the enemies of the Lord, and thou a greater 
sinner than they, and nevertheless another and a 
greater King than David, being Monarch of heaven 
and earth, invites thee to His table, and even serves 
thee! Compare thy vileness with His greatness, 
His infinitude with thy lowliness, drawing from 
thence a great confusion, humbling thyself as one 
that has fallen, yet encouraged, seeing how favoured 
thou art. 

Second Point. — At the Time of Communion. 

Miphiboseth endeavours to array himself fitly in 
order to appear in the royal presence ; covering his 
defects by adornments, he comes not loathsome, 
thus increasing the offensiveness of his presence, 
but clothed in festive garments, the better to conceal 
his defects. With what humility must • he have 
entered the palace ! How humbly he prostrated him- 
self at the royal feet, saying, ‘ Lord, whence have I 
merited from thee so great a favour ? It would 
have been more than sufficient to have eaten with 
thy servants — but to eat at thy side and at thy own 
table ! from the same dish and of the same food ! 
Behold and see how utterly unworthy I am of 
such honours as these!' But the holy King, as 



Digitized by L-ooQle 




TWENTY-FOURTH MEDITATION . 



103 



generous as he was compassionate, raised him to his 
arms, saying, 4 Yes, at my table shalt thou sit, and 
with me shalt thou eat.* 

Reflect to-day, when thou art invited, not by a 
king of this earth but by the Monarch of heaven 
to His table and to His dish, what should be the 
adornments in which thou shouldst approach, and 
with what festive garments thou shouldst be clothed. 
Endeavour, then, to hide the hideousness of sin with 
the decorations of grace. 

Third Point. — After Communion. 

Miphiboseth sat at the royal table as low in 
humility as he was honoured, favoured by the King 
and admired by those belonging to the court ; the 
grandees waited upon him, and the King himself 
handed to him the choicest of the viands. With 
how much gratification he partook of what came 
from the royal hand. How comforted with his new 
happiness, how satisfied with the feast set before him, 
for here indeed were joined once more honour and 
profit, the benignity of David rivalling the humility 
of Miphiboseth. 

Consider, you who are communicating, that how- 
ever great may have been the favours bestowed by 
the King of Israel on Miphiboseth, they never can 
equal those conferred on you to-day by the King of 
Heaven. There the King gave precious and dainty 
viands, but he did not give himself Here, at this 
table of the Altar, you eat with God, and of God : 
His own Body He presents you with, and with it His 
Divinity, bestowing upon you all that He possesses 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




104 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS . 



and Himself with all His gifts. Enjoy with delight 
this exquisite food, relish slowly ; though partaking 
hungrily of this great gift, give place to contempla- 
tion, for He is truly God, and note that the very 
Angels assist around you, envying your happiness, 
yet jealously vigilant that you render to Him due 
reverence. 

t 

Fourth Point.— In Thanksgiving. 

In grateful remembrance for so much kindness, 
Miphiboseth must have turned his timidity into out- 
pourings of thankfulness and gratitude, proving the 
acknowledgment of the favour received by returning 
to obtain it again, not showing the delays of a lame 
man, but the punctuality of the invited guest. He 
did not behave as the son of David’s greatest perse- 
cutor, but as the most faithful and grateful of 
vassals. 

Consider what praises you should render to so 
great a King Who has thus favoured you ; what 
thanks you should give a Lord Who has thus re- 
galed you. Do not offend Him any longer as an 
enemy, but serve Him as a grateful son. Conclude, 
saying, ‘ O my Lord and my God ! more merciful 
than David hast Thou shown Thyself in favouring 
me, and all Divine in pardoning me ; for, being more 
covered with imperfections in my soul than Miphibo- 
seth was in body, Thou hast deigned to admit me 
to Thy table, placing me by Thy side, and Thou hast 
fed me with Thy own Self. What thanks can I give 
Thee, O Lord, for so many favours ? With the holy 



Digitized by L-ooQle 




TWENTY-FOURTH MEDITATION . 



105 



King I will say, “ Chalice for chalice, let one Commu- 
nion be the recompense of another, repaying what has 
been received by receiving again ; for with the Lord 
there is no other retribution : thus shall I return 
again and again to Thy table. It would more than 
have sufficed for me to have sat at the table of Thy 
hired labourers, but for Thy infinite goodness it was 
insufficient. Let the Angels praise Thee for me who 
have eaten for them, eating their bread. O Lord, 
grant me one more grace: namely, that, feeding 
upon Thee during all this temporal life, I may enjoy 
Thee for Eternity. ,, 9 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




TWENTY-FIFTH MEDITATION. 



On the thanksgiving which the Beloved Disciple rendered his 
Divine Master, leaning on His bosom. 

First Point. — Before Communion. 

Contemplate this disciple of a pure heart, how he 
raises himself to the heart of his Master. He enjoys 
much who loveth much, and it is the property of 
virgin hearts to love most ; for, denying themselves 
to all creatures, they give themselves up completely 
to God. John, being the beloved disciple of the 
Lover of Purity, disposes himself with virginal 
bosom to receive the spotless Lamb, striving to ex- 
press in the most endearing terms his most pure 
love, and after having followed Him wheresoever 
He went, he casts himself on His bosom, and there 
reposes as in his centre, saying, * My Beloved to me, 
and I to my Beloved, Who feedeth amongst the 
lilies’; and of all the favours of the Prince he aspired 
but to one, to enjoy interiorly and exteriorly Him 
Who was his beginning and his end, his God and 
his all. 

Ponder, my soul ! with what purity thou shouldst 
prepare thyself when thou comest to Communion, 
that by a mutual interchange the Lord may repose in 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




TWENTY-FIFTH MEDITATION. 



107 



thy bosom and thou on His Breast. Awaken thy 
faith, that the Lord may sleep in thy charity ; 
endeavour to dispose thyself with virgin heart, with- 
drawing thyself from every earthly affection, that 
with a pure conscience, washed clean of every spot, 
thou mayest love more, and enjoy more and more 
His Divine favours. 

Second Point. — At the Time of Communion. 

O powerful eagle ! with what penetrating eye 
didst thou examine thyself in the rays of the dazzling 
Sun ; nestling in Him so that thou both findest food 
and hast thy nest in His Bosom. Flying and soaring, 
thou comest to rest in Him after having gazed from 
end to end on this enamoured Sun, drinking in His 
rays of light under the appearances of His Precious 
Blood ; then thou closest thine eyes in calm con- 
templation. Oh, how thou didst cast away all cold- 
ness of spirit by means of the heat of that burning 
Heart ! Oh, how thou didst examine the designs of 
His favours and search into the intentions of His 
love! How leisurely thou enjoyest a love which is 
eternal, for when it seemed to be ended, then did 
it commence, for having loved, He loved to the end. 

Soul ! to the very same Bosom this same Lord 
invites you to-day when He gives you Himself as 
food. Approach, then, this day to communicate 
and to recline on His Breast, deriving through a 
similar love similar favours; and if John was the 
beloved one, be you the lover ; show yourself to be 
an eagle in contemplation as well as in voracity ; 



Digitized by 



Google 




108 SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS . 

attend upon Him with the eyes of faith, clasping 
Him with an inflamed charity. 

Third Point.— After Communion. 

John, after having fed upon Christ freely, ventures 
to recline on Him, that interiorly and exteriorly he 
may be encompassed by his Master. O great dis- 
ciple of love! and how faithfully did he inculcate 
His lessons ! The Son of God reposes on the bosom 
of His Eternal Father, and John on that of the very 
Son of God, choosing that spot for reposing after 
his food. How profitably indeed must he have par- 
taken who had eaten with such delight 1 

Soul ! learn to sleep in God after having nourished 
thyself with God, calming thyself in contemplation, 
not allowing intrusive cares to disquiet thee, nor the 
world to debase thee, but persevering in the enjoy- 
ment of this thy paradise, demanding mercies from 
a God Who has evinced towards thee such attention ; 
assist like an eagle in contemplating Him ; attend on 
Him, slumbering, like John, with thine eyes closed 
to all creatures, and open for God alone. 

Fourth Point. — In Thanksgiving. 

So grateful did John remain for the Divine favour 
that had been granted to him, that he took it for his 
armorial designation, deriving from it his glorious 
title, ever after styling himself the beloved disciple 
who leaned on the breast of the Lord after the 
Supper ; for John signifies grace, and the most grate- 
ful are ever the most favoured, and not only does he 



Digitized by Ljooole 




T WENTY-FIFTH MED1TA TION. 



109 



never cast this grace in oblivion, but he perpetuates 
it gratefully through his own name, desiring to be 
so called in thankfulness, thereby signifying that he 
would sooner be left nameless than cease to be 
thankful, consecrating for all eternity his gratitude, 
and endeavouring to repay it by heaping love upon 
love. 

Oh, you who have communicated, having followed 
the beloved disciple in receiving favours, do not 
leave him now alone in his gratefulness ; and if this 
most Divine Sacrament was good grace for you, 
because it is so entitled and is truly so, let your 
endeavour be to correspond to this good grace. 
Eucharist is its name, and gratitude should be the 
blazon on its standard. Draw from it the grace to 
return thanks for graces, fervour for favours, love for 
the manifestations of love, and services for so great 
a reward. 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




TWENTY-SIXTH MEDITATION. 

The banquet of King Assuerus. 

First Point. — Before Communion. 

Consider how this mighty monarch, wishing to 
make a great display of his magnificence, resorts 
to the scheme of celebrating a sumptuous ban- 
quet, gaining affections with gifts, and forming 
friendships by feastings. He invited all the lords 
and grandees of his kingdom — for being a great 
banquet, the guests also must be great — and like 
royal princes they came robed in rich and costly 
garments, thus rivalling the favour by their jewels, 
and corresponding to such an honour by their adorn- 
ments. 

Reflect to what a far nobler banquet you are to- 
day invited, and how much superior is the Monarch 
Who gives it — not indeed to make ostentation of 
His greatness, but as a proof of His love. The one 
was a king of earth, this one is King of earth and 
of heaven, and so He invites the heavenly ones to 
come and serve those of the earth, that they may 
eat. There the great ones were called ; here the 
little ones are chosen. There were the rich ; here 
are the poor in spirit : there those also robed in fine 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




TWENTY-SIXTH MEDITATION . 



in 



raiment; here those who are clothed with grace. 
Considering, therefore, the banquet to which you 
are called, the palace you are to enter, the table 
at which you are to sit, and the majesty of the Lord 
Who invites you, you will understand with what 
ornaments you should come bedecked, the reverence 
with which you are to approach, and the delight 
with which you are to eat. 

Second Point. — At the Time of Communion. 

The princes and great ones as soon as they arrived 
were conducted and seated in their places in the 
order of their dignity, not by anticipation, or 
according to age, but according to their merits. 
The principal ones were first, those nearest related 
by blood to the king being placed close to him. 
Each one was served from the dish that he preferred, 
and which most pleased him, and whatever they 
desired, however exquisite it might be, was placed 
before them, and in such a manner that they derived 
from it both honour and profit, to the equal grati- 
fication of their taste. 

Reflect that in this sacramental banquet all these 
conditions are verified ; here everyone who par- 
ticipates belongs to the blood, all being so allied to 
the King that they possess Him within them, each 
possessing a King in his body, and even a God — all 
receiving more than they ask and desire, and more 
even than they would know what to ask for, or what 
they knew would delight them — in each crumb a 
heaven. Approach, soul ! and take thy seat and eat 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




1 12 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS . 



in peace, thy mouth being thy measure, reflecting 
that the more thou dilatest it, the more will the 
Lord fill it. Take notice of what thou partakest, 
and thou wilt eat with ardour. 

Third Point. — After Communion. 

The guests partook of the viands, enjoying their 
delicious flavour, and being princes and accus- 
tomed to good food, they knew how to estimate 
what was excellent ; they ate much who were 
used to eating well, and being courtly, they praised 
the lord of the banquet for the bountifulness of 
his gifts, more particularly since he was a prince 
who prided himself on his liberality and even 
extravagance. The feast provided was as exquisite 
as it was well prepared, and so they gave way to 
their appetites, enjoying every delight and wasting 
nothing. 

Consider that, however much that great and 
powerful King may have desired to give them, he 
never attained to giving his own self ; that was left 
for this great God. Soul! this indeed is feasting, 
and this is truly to eat ! Approach with an insatiable 
hunger to this Infinite Food ; look well to what you 
are receiving, for it is called the bread of the under- 
standing, and the food of the enlightened ones. 
Eat in the full light of day, and with a mouth 
accustomed to regal food, not degenerated back into 
the gross food of an earthly Egypt. 



Die ed by LjOOQle 




TWENTY-SIXTH MEDITATION . 



US 



Fourth Point. — In Thanksgiving. 

There is a sorrow that always follows every delight. 
All the banquets ended bitterly, and most so this 
one in the garden of Assuerus, for the Queen 
perished because she did not appear. The King 
commanded that she should crown its celebration 
with her beauty, but she ungratefully did not appre- 
ciate the favour, and unhappily being indignant with 
the King, she lost with this banquet her crown, and 
because she had refused to take her position by the 
King’s side she was condemned to the perpetual loss 
of the greatest splendour, and to be cast into exterior 
darkness. At the very banquet table she was con- 
victed, for there was the judge, and he who eats 
unworthily eats and drinks his own judgment. 

Be warned, O my soul, from other mouths ; assist 
at the banquet of the Altar with as much preparation 
as thou hast regard for its value. Remember that 
for thee is the feast prepared, and be not wanting 
on account of thy grossness, as others are on account 
of their boldness. Comprehend thy dignity and 
thy honour, for not only wilt thou sit by the side of 
the King, but the King Himself will abide in thy 
bosom. Come with fitting dispositions, returning 
with thankfulness, rendering Him infinite gratitude, 
and fearing lest thou mayest be cast away unhappily 
through being so thankless. 



8 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




TWENTY-SEVENTH MEDITATION. 



On adoring the Lord with the Three Kings, and offering 
Him gifts. 

First Point. — Before Communion. 

Follow to-day in contemplation, and with faith 
accompany three Kings of earth in their search for 
the King of Heaven — they were wise men, wisdom 
being a sovereign disposition for finding Infinite 
Wisdom. From the east — the commencement of the 
world, the beginning of life — they came, guided by 
a star, seeking the sun. They left the great city 
of Jerusalem, where everything was in confusion, 
to find the Lord in the tranquillity of Bethlehem ; 
they descended from their grandeur, accommodating 
themselves to its lowliness, their first steps being to 
lower their heads to the ground, and so reach that 
heaven which was at its foot. They entered in, 
where everything was open, to find a new-born Babe, 
and a great God, undistinguished either here in 
its smallness, or above in its immensity. They 
approached Him, in the arms of the Aurora, and in 
the midst of tears and pearls ; they paid homage to 
Him as their Monarch, adoring Him as their God, 
offering their hearts in the centre of their gifts. 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




T WENTY-SE VENTH M EDITA TION. i 1 5 

Oh you who to-day are to receive Him in Holy 
Communion, reflect that you are sallying forth in 
search of this same King! Oh, that you may be 
guided by the star of your felicity, the light of His 
Divine grace, to find Him if you are wise, not with 
the wisdom of this age, but disillusioned, come 
from the orient of your life, and marching on dili- 
gently in the paths of perfection ! 

Second Point. — At the Time of Communion. 

The star which guided the three Kings also un- 
deceived them, introducing them, not into a lofty 
palace, but into an humble porch, which they entered 
not only with their breasts on the ground, but with 
their mouths saluting it as the throne of His feet — 
not in order to admire rich tapestries of silk and 
gold, but cobwebs woven by spiders, and in place 
of brocaded embellishments they found a stable 
carpeted with straw. There, in the midst of 
beasts, lay Infinite Wisdom, and a crib made for 
animals was changed into a sublime throne of 
seraphs. Casting themselves at His Feet, they 
formed with their crowns His seat, making the lofti- 
ness of their spirit rival the humiliation of their 
love. They both wept and laughed, effects of the 
sight of that Infant Sun, and amidst the most abject 
poverty in the world they recognised and acknow- 
ledged all the fulness and richness of heaven. 

Soul ! To-day the star of your felicity guides 
you, not to a stable, but to an altar, where your 
three powers await the same Child-God Who gave 
audience to the Kings. It does not cost you so many 

8 — 2 



Digitized by Ljooole 




SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS . 



116 

steps to find Him as it did them, for you have Him 
near you, and not only does He permit you to adore 
Him, but actually to feed on Him. If the Kings 
considered it a great favour to be allowed to kiss 
the earth of the stable — terrain lingent — to you is 
conceded to feast on His Humanity, and to nourish 
yourself with His Divinity. They sought His Feet 
to kiss them ; you to take them into your mouth. 
They were allowed to clasp Him in their arms, 
embracing Him ; you to receive Him into your very 
heart. Appreciate, then, your happiness, and derive 
therefrom abundant profit. 

Third Point. — After Communion. 

The Kings opened and displayed their treasures to 
their infant God. After having first offered to Him 
their souls, they presented Him with the brilliancy 
of gold and the bitterness of myrrh, thus predicting 
as faithful astrologers the dolours of His Passion. 
Having adored Him as God, they desired to 
fondle Him as a child. The Virgin Mother 
permitted them and the rustic shepherds to do 
so. Each in turn they would take Him up, 
caressing Him, desiring to possess Him, and in 
homage folding in their purple robes Him Whom 
others would clothe in garments of ignominy. 
They never tired of imprinting their kisses on those 
cheeks which, later on, His enemies would redden 
with their cruel blows, and they who had come in 
such haste now enjoyed leisurely and quietly their 
felicity, not finding their way to return, it being 
necessary that the Divine oracle should show it to 
them in their waking dreams. 



Digitized by Cjooole 




TWENTY-SEVENTH MEDITATION . 



17 



Soul ! prostrate thyself after having communi- 
cated at the feet of this Child-God, presenting Him 
thy three powers, with the incense of contemplation, 
the gold of thy affections, and the myrrh in memory 
of His sufferings. Offer Him a lively faith, a brave 
hope, and a burning charity. Give Him the incense 
of obedience, the gold of poverty, and the myrrh of 
chastity. Honour thy God by prayer, assist thy 
neighbour with almsdeed, and curb thy own self 
with mortification. 

Fourth Point. — In Thanksgiving. 

The wise men proved themselves liberal of their 
gifts, and no less so in their gratefulness and praises / 
of the Lord ; they proceeded in every way as be- 
fitted Kings, for that which rendered them dumb 
about informing Herod made them eloquent in their 
praises, blessing the Lord, publishing in all their 
lands the wonders of the King Whom they had 
found, for undoubtedly the lips that had pressed 
those tender Feet could never more be closed to the 
Divine praises, but for ever rendered Him their 
grateful homage. 

Oh, you who have communicated, act in a kingly 
manner, not as a low being ; prove yourself wise 
by being grateful and thankful, returning praises for 
His favours, over and over again letting this food of 
Heaven repose amidst the slumbers of contempla- 
tion. Return by another road to a new life, loaded 
with virtues in exchange for your offerings, marching 
on to the orient of fervour, and not to the Occident 
of tepidity ! 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




TWENTY-EIGHTH MEDITATION. 

Comparing the greatness of the Lord with the vileness of man. 

First Point. — Before Communion. 

Oh, my great God and my Lord, my spirit faints 
within me, when I see that Thou, an Infinite God, 
crowned with infinite perfection, shouldst deign to 
enter into the breast of so vile and insignificant a 
worm as I am. That Thou so immense, and Who 
canst not be contained within the heavens or on the 
earth, shouldst narrow Thyself within the bosom of 
a despicable worm. Thou, all powerful, and Who 
couldst create other infinite worlds, full of countless 
perfect beings, yet wiliest to come and enter the small- 
ness of this vile creature who can do nothing and is 
worth nothing ; Thou, Infinite Wisdom, Who knowest 
all things and comprehendest everything — the past, 
the present, and the future — how is it possible that 
Thou shouldst lower thyself to one who is ignorance 
itself? Thou Who art eternal and unfailing, Who 
wast before all ages, and art, and ever shalt be, yet 
comest to me, who in an instant disappear and am 
no more; Thou, Lord, infinitely good and holy, 
wishest to dwell within the bosom of such an unworthy 
sinner. Thou the highest grandeur, I lowliness itself ; 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




TWENTY -EIGHTH MEDITATION . 119 

Thou all, I nothingness ! If the pillars of heaven 
tremble before Thy Divine Presence, how much 
more my heart should tremble and fear. Lord ! 
strengthen Thou my lowliness, comfort my little- 
ness, that I may not faint away on receiving Thee. 

Second Point. -At the Time of Communion. 

My God and my Lord ! if the Baptist considered 
himself unworthy to loosen the latchet of Thy shoe, 
how shall I approach, not only to touch Thy latchet, 
but to touch Thee, to feed on Thee, and to place 
Thee within my bosom ! What would the Baptist 
say if he were to receive Thee, my Lord, and 
place Thee into his breast? If John, sanctified as 
he was from his mother’s womb, confirmed in 
grace, brought up in the roughness of a desert, 
the day-star of the Sun, and Thy precursor, deemed 
himself unworthy to touch the tie of Thy shoe, I, 
born and reared in sins, I, full of faults and 
miseries, I, so great a sinner, how shall I dare to 
receive Thee? If John, after so much penance, 
and so sinless as he was, shrinks, what am I to do, 
with so many sins and no penitence ? But hark ! I 
hear that same Baptist speaking to me and saying, 
‘ Behold the Lamb of God ! approach to Him, for if 
He is infinite in His greatness, He is also infinite 
in His mercy. If He is an immense God, He is 
also a gentle Lamb ; if thou art covered with sins, 
He is the one Who taketh away sin.’ Cleanse me, 
then, my Lord, more and more ; create in me a clean 
heart ; renew a right spirit within my bowels, that 
Thou mayest lodge within me. 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




.120 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS . 



Third Point. — After Communion. 

‘ Who art Thou, Lord, and who am I V said the 
humble Saint Francis, and the same words shall I 
repeat many times. If the holy patriarch Abraham 
shrank within himself when he had to speak to 
Thee, exclaiming that he was but dust and ashes, 
how am I to come to Thee, not only to stand before 
Thee, but to place Thee within my breast ? If the 
Seraphim who surround Thy throne, burning as they 
do with the fire of love, veil their faces with their 
wings, abashed in presence of Thy sovereign Majesty, 
how can I, so cold and slothful in Thy service, dare 
to come and receive Thee into my bosom ? • Is it 

possible ?’ I will exclaim with Solomon — ‘ is it to be 
imagined that God Himself should really and truly 
live within me ; for if the Heaven of heavens 
cannot contain Thee, how much less this lowly 
dwelling wherein to-day Thou deignest to dwell V 
But, Lord, listen to my petitions, not to my de- 
merits ; accept my humiliations in lieu of my vile- 
ness, and let the very acknowledgment of them be 
my extenuation. 

Fourth Point. — In Thanksgiving. 

O my Lord and my God ! where was I when 
the stars of the morning praised Thee ? If that 
bright constellation John so reverenced Thee in Thy 
presence and so lauded Thee when absent, for so 
many favours received, what shall I say after so 
many and continued favours ? I would wish to-day 
to sing a new canticle, for Thou hast performed in 



Digitized by Ljooole 




TWENTY-EIGHTH MEDITATION. 



121 



me a wonder of wonders ; and if Thou madest a 
memorial of them in this most Divine Sacrament, I 
also shall make a memorial of eternal praises. Oh 
that one of Thy Seraphim would fly to purify my 
lips before I receive Thee, and afterwards adequately 
bless and praise Thee for me ! But I will sing for all 
eternity Thy infinite mercies, and though I feel my- 
self vile and low, I would not wish to be ungracious, 
and that Immensity which thou hast narrowed by 
coming to me, I would wish to enlarge and magnify 
by extolling Thee, returning thanks to Him Who 
has crowned me unceasingly with numberless 
mercies. 



Digitized by Ljooole 




TWENTY-NINTH MEDITATION. 

The Great Supper applied to the Sacred Communion. 

First Point. — Before Communion. 

Consider how in this great Lord His goodness is 
elevated by His greatness, as if there was a rivalry 
between the Infinite Good and Its desire of com- 
municating Itself to others, the love of the Father 
equalling the power of the King; nor does He 
reserve to Himself alone the enjoyment of His 
infinite riches, but offers them to everyone, inviting 
all to His treasures, and even beseeching them to 
accept them. He sends His diligent servants to go, 
as if on wings, and seek the slothful guests ; but like 
coarse and low beings as they were, and worldly, they 
despised the honour offered, spurning its benefits and 
wasting its fruits ; and being ignorant, they excused 
themselves for not coming. Oh more than hapless 
ones ! for, being accustomed to the vile food of their 
Egypt they loathed the delights of Heaven. Some 
were deterred from coming by the golden manacles of 
their cupidity, others by the ties of sensuality, many 
by their ambition for honours, which are the concupi- 
scence of the worldly, in such sort, that when every- 
thing was prepared and ready, the guests alone were 



Digitized by CjQOQle 




TWENTY-NINTH MEDITATION. 



123 



wanting. Oh, who could have believed it ? But the 
banquet was of Heaven and they were of the world 
worldly, and in proportion as the Lord showed 
Himself amiable so much the more did the guests 
prove themselves worthless and mean. 

Remember, my soul, how many times you have 
committed this grievous offence, for the King of 
Heaven, having invited you to His table, you have, 
by not recognising the favour, spurned the happiness, 
and in place of preparing yourself to go and receive 
Him in the Holy Communion, you gave in to a 
frivolous tepidity, to a vain amusement. Draw from 
this consideration an earnest resolution of amend- 
ment, and an efficacious desire of frequenting this 
sumptuous banquet. 

Second Point. — At the Time of Communion. 

When the King saw that the guests had no wish 
to accept His invitation, they having such bad taste, 
that on being besought to come for their own good, 
they despised the offer, nevertheless He was not for 
that reason displeased with the rest, nor did He 
entertain the thought of withdrawing His benefits, 
rather His desire of imparting them increased, and 
He gave new orders, and sent His ministers to 
the highways and lanes, and to bring in all the 
poor. Since the rich had declined to come, let the 
hungry ones be invited, because for them the Great 
Supper will be arranged, and let it be the greatest 
punishment of the worldly ones not to taste or even 
see it. 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




124 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS. 



These poor ones came as quickly as they were 
invited, the lame coming with diligence, the blind 
groping to the centre of attraction ; they all entered 
the banquet hall with humility, and were received 
with kindness and courtesy. The table was filled 
with the poor in spirit, despised by the world, but 
esteemed by Heaven, for their portion is to reign 
with God. 

My soul, consider yourself the poorest amongst 
them all, ever lame in virtue, maimed for doing 
good. Make yourself a companion of the Angels, 
working your way with them into Heaven. Do not 
wait to be sought for, but approach humbly, and you 
will be well entertained, remembering that to hunger 
is a great disposition for receiving so great a food. 



Third Point. — After Communion. 

With what delight must these poor mendicants 
have sat at this well-covered table. The poor are 
regaled with the food of the princes ; how they must 
have relished it, free from the loathing of those who 
are surfeited, and without fear of eating to excess, 
losing nothing, not even time, their whole thoughts 
bent upon the repast, for they know that this is 
supper, and no other meal is to follow. They despise 
nothing, their hunger and the deliciousness of the 
viands not permitting them . to feel any want ; they 
eat with profit who eat with such zest, and they 
remain perfectly satisfied, they who until that day 
had partaken of nothing substantial. 

Imagine yourself the most miserable of all these; 



Digitized by Ljooole 




TWENTY-NINTH MEDITATION . 



i*5 



approach hungrily to this sacramental table, and 
you will eat with delight ; for however sumptuous 
might have been that great supper, it was but a 
shadow of yours. Eat like a mendicant, relishing 
slowly this delicious food ; eat with faith, ponder- 
ing over It in meditation, and you will find that in 
all your lifetime you had not until to-day relished 
anything so dainty or so substantial. 

Fourth Point. — In Thanksgiving. 

How happy and well-satisfied must they have 
remained, no longer poor, but rich guests, for He 
enriches you who serves you ! How their gratitude 
must have equalled their hunger ! How many times 
must they have thanked the Lord for the Banquet, 
those who until that day had never been satisfied ! 
How they must have congratulated each other on 
their happiness as compared with the inferior con- 
dition of their neighbours ! and how they must have 
acknowledged and celebrated it with jubilation ! 

Soul ! appreciate your happiness, lift up your voice 
with that of the Queen of the Heavens, magnify 
the Lord, saying, ‘ He hath filled the hungry with 
good things, and the rich He hath sent empty away.’ 
Show yourself as grateful as you have been honoured ; 
ask of the Angels to lend you their tongues, to 
praise and thank the Lord, desirous to approach to 
communicate, like one of those poor who were enter- 
tained at this great supper. 



Digitized by kjOOQle 



THIRTIETH MEDITATION. 

On receiving the Lord as a treasure hidden in the Sacrament. 

First Point. — Before Communion. 

Consider how a wealthy man acts when he becomes 
aware of the existence of some great hidden treasure. 
How quickly does he credit the news ! how dili- 
gently he seeks it ! not lying down to sleep, for his 
dreams are but of enriching himself ; he neither eats 
nor drinks, being like a dropsical man in his thirst 
for gold. His first act is to purchase the field 
wherein the treasure is hidden, and to make certain 
of it by securing its possession. He digs it himself, 
for he trusts no one. The hope of finding it beguiles 
his fatigue ; he does not feel weary, for he is filled 
with cupidity ; his desires growing within him in 
proportion as he approaches his treasures, the 
covetousness of his heart giving strength to his 
weary arms. 

Soul ! to-day Faith notifies to you that a treasure 
is hidden in a field of bread, and so precious, that in 
it are contained all the riches of heaven. You are 
poor, but if you find it you will return rich. En- 
deavour to obtain this treasure and you will to-day 
quit your miseries, for here in this Host you have 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




THIRTIETH MEDITATION . 



127 



all the eternal treasures. Why, then, do you not 
seek It diligently ? why do you not joyously obtain 
It ? Quite at hand have you this treasure — enjoy 
It abundantly. Approach the Sacred Communion 
with the avidity of a man covetous of obtaining 
a great treasure. 

Second Point. — At the Time of Communion. 

Paul called the riches of this world offal, and 
justly so, for in dust they all end, and being cor- 
ruptible, they leave their foolish lovers mocked — 
soiling the heart with vices. It would be mad- 
ness, and very great madness, to load your bosom 
with clay if it were in your power to cover 
and weigh it down with rich jewels — to carry a 
burthen of earth when you could have one of gold. 
Thus act the children of this generation ; bastards 
as to all that is eternal, they despise the treasure of 
the Altar, honouring the dust of the world. 

Oh ! do not be so senseless and of such a low 
mind as to lose a treasure in each Communion for 
a sordid interest, for a filthy pleasure, for a sense- 
less act of slothfuliress, but approach with eager- 
ness, and you will return with happiness. 

Third Point. — After Communion. 

How delighted is the man who finds the hidden 
treasure, and more so if in him cupidity and poverty 
predominate ! How eagerly does he set about its 
discovery ! With what pleasure he enjoys it ; gazing 
upon it, scarcely believing what he sees, and not 



Digitized by Ljooole 




128 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS . 



trusting to the testimony of his eyes, he satisfies him- 
self by touching it with his hands. He employs all 
his senses and faculties without diverting his 
thoughts for a single instant on any other object, 
losing nothing, filling his bosom to the utmost. The 
burthen is his comfort, and his sorrow is that it 
weighs no heavier. He returns over and over again 
from his house to the field without resting, so long 
as there may remain anything to be carried away, 
emptying his bosom and filling every coffer, return- 
ing to load himself many times, seeking more and 
more, seeking over again where he had already 
sought, for he is laying in a treasure indeed, and one 
to last him all his life. 

Soul ! you who found this most precious rich 
treasure, as hidden as it is sacramental, in the 
pasture of the Altar, with what love should you 
return to obtain It, with what attention uncover It, 
with what eagerness receive It, with what delight 
enjoy It ! But, alas ! you know not the wealth you 
possess, you do not know what is its value, or how 
much it concerns you. Pass and repass the road in 
frequent and devout Communions, and you will be 
enriched ; come and finish to divest yourself of your 
tepidity, that enemy of wealth, for you must needs 
amass much for yourself, so as to last you for all 
your life, and that an eternal one, in peace and in 
happiness. 



Digitized by Cjooole 




THIRTIETH MEDITATION. 



129 



Fourth Point. — In Thanksgiving. 

How joyfully does he who found the treasure 
estimate his happiness ! Each day does he renew the 
remembrance of his felicity, ever keeping present to 
his mind that first joy, valuing during the whole of 
his life that moment when he came out of his 
misery, consecrating eternally that happy day, 
marking it with a jewel, and that a precious one. 
How grateful is he to the one who gave him the 
news, and though he may not give him of his riches, 
he renders him abundant thanks, recounting many 
times his felicity to his intimate friends, and con- 
gratulating himself with them on his good fortune. 

O my soul ! if you comprehended your bliss, how 
you would appreciate it ! If you attained to under- 
stand the infinite excellence of this hidden manna, 
which is manna to the taste, and purest bliss in its 
fortunate discovery, what thanks would you render 
the Lord ! Repeat its memory each moment ; fre- 
quent it every day. Remember that it is an infinite 
treasure which never fails, but each day you will 
find it whole, and ever the same. Prove yourself 
grateful to the Lord, Who reserved it for you ; 
take care you do not lose it through ingratitude, nor 
rate it low through underestimating its worth ; live 
on it all your life, which will be to live to God for all 
eternity. Amen. 



9 



Digitized by L.ooQle 




THIRTY-FIRST MEDITATION. 



On approaching the Holy Communion with the fervour of the 
two blind men whom our Lord enlightened* 

First Point. — Before Communion. 

Consider this fervent blind man of Jericho, who, 
to obtain the sight of his corporeal eyes, arms and 
arrays himself with the light of faith. He sallies 
out seeking the Saviour, undeterred by the fear of 
any obstacles he may meet, and unrestrained by 
slothful excuses of impossibility. He sees that he 
does not see, and sees that which it concerns him to 
see, and therefore quits his house, first leaving him- 
self. He has no lack of tongue for crying out, though 
he may lack sight to see ; and he who has tongue for 
confessing his evils will obtain their remedies. He 
couples the omnipotence of Jesus with His mercy, 
and thus calls upon Him, insisting on His ever- 
healing Name. * Jesus,’ he says, * Son of David the 
meek, Thou wilt not be otherwise than merciful. 
Jesus, Son of David, to whom was promised the 
Saviour, give me health. Lord, be merciful to me ! 
Thou art an Infinite God, and I am a miserable 
creature. Thou art my Creator, Thou must also 
be my Helper. Thou, Who hast granted me that 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




THIRTY-FIRST MEDITATION . 



131 

greater gift, my being, grant me the lesser one, my 
sight; be not in my regard a hidden God, Thou 
Who art so known in Judea.’ In this manner he 
diligently sought his cure with loud cries of prayer. 

Imagine yourself blinded by your passions with- 
out seeing what most concerns you, without knowing 
your God and your Lord. Great is the blindness of 
your ignorance, greater that of your sins, for behold 
and see, blinded soul, that here you have that same 
Jesus and Saviour — if not in Jericho, at the altar. 
Cry loudly if you desire to see, pray if you wish for 
health, and obtain so great a favour, for he who 
has the tongue for asking pardon will assuredly reach 
heaven. Run, guided by faith, call on Him no 
longer as the Son of David, but what is better, 
* Jesus, Son of Mary, be merciful to me !’ 

Second Point. — At the Time of Communion. 

The Saviour, drawing nigh, approached the blind 
man — a great happiness indeed is it to be near the 
Lord — and though he could not see Him with the 
eyes of his body, he perceived Him with the eyes of 
his soul. He, availing himself of his voice, who 
could not make use of his eyes, strengthened it 
with the voice of his fervour, breaking forth with the 
cry of hope. ‘ Jesus,’ he exclaimed, which was to 
say, ‘ Fountain of health and of life ! let there be one 
drop for me ; for if Thou, Lord, art not my remedy, 
who shall suffice ? I will not be so accursed as to 
confide in mortal man, for creatures do not give 
sight, rather they destroy it!’ Those who went 

9—2 



Digitized by Ljooole 




132 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS. 



before him, angry with his cries, rebuked him ; not 
feeling his miseries, they bade him hold his peace. 
But Jesus listened to him, and he cried out much 
more : ‘ Lord, have mercy on my misery ; if I can- 
not see Thee, Thou canst look on me.* ‘ What wilt 
thou ?’ asked Christ, that the blind man might be 
more sensible of his necessity and its remedy ; but 
he answered : ‘ What can I wish for except to look 
on Thee, for in Thee I shall see everything, my God 
and my every good !’ 

Listen, soul ! To-day that same Lord speaks to 
thee, asking thee : ‘ What wilt thou V Beseech 
mercies of One Who invites you with His Body and 
Blood, for what will He not bestow Who gives all ? 
* I am your Goal, fix on Me your gaze ; I am your 
Centre, repose in Me.’ ‘ What wilt Thou ?’ demands 
the Lord ; and do you answer Him thus : ‘ What can 
I desire but Thee Thyself, to see Thee and enjoy 
Thee, to receive Thee and be received by Thee ? 
Close my eyes to vanity, opening them alone to 
Thee, Who art my Centre/ ‘ What wilt thou ?’ 
which is equal to saying, ‘ Dost thou know what it 
it is to communicate ?’ i Discite quid fecerim vobis 

Third Point. — After Communion. 

The Lord showed Himself no less merciful with 
the man who was blind from his birth, but He 
acted more mysteriously ; for although able to cure 
him with merely one word, He took clay and spread 
it upon his eyes, making a salve of what would seem 
to be an obstruction, mixing it with His spittle, with 



Digitized by Ljooole 




THIRTY-FIRST MEDITATION . 



133 



which He turned it into a clod of Heaven, forming 
out of what had been an ill a remedy, desiring that 
from the dust of His humility should come the clay 
which would effect the cure, opening the man’s eyes 
when He seemed to be obstructing them most. With 
this paste, and by washing them afterwards, the 
blind person obtained so good a sight that he was 
able to see all he could desire. 

Reflect, now, on the advantages of His favours in 
your regard. He does not apply clay mixed with 
spittle, but His own Body mixed with His Blood, 
and full of His Divinity. Lay Him, then, not only 
over your eyes, but within your bosom ; place Him 
on the eyes of your soul with knowledge and love, 
acknowledging that to grant you your sight He 
gives you His own very eyes. Look, now, with and 
through the eyes of Christ, speak with His tongue, 
walk with His feet, live in His life, saying with 
St. Paul, ‘ I live now, not I, but Christ liveth in me.’ 
He it is Who sees and Who speaks in me. Reflect, 
that if the spittle of the Lord worked so efficaciously 
that it gave sight to the blind man, what will not be 
effected in a being who feeds on the Body and Blood 
of the Lord, united with His Divinity ? 

Fourth Point. — In Thanksgiving. 

So rejoiced was the blind man at having received 
his sight, that he gave great bounds of joy, running 
to the Eternal Crown. He returned to the Lord in 
gratitude for so great a mercy, and looked on Him, 
which was to gaze on all that has to be seen, employ - 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




134 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS. 



ing his tongue in giving praises, confessing Him to be 
his God and his Lord, in spite of those blind men 
who were blinded through envy. He prostrated 
himself on the ground, glorifying his Redeemer ; 
he fell on his knees on that very earth which had 
been laid on his eyes, adoring his Creator and laud- 
ing his Physician; and as often as he would open his 
eyes to see, so often would he open his mouth in 
thanksgiving for the favour he had received. 

Oh, with how much greater reason should you, 
my soul, render thanks to the Lord for so Divine a 
favour ! Ever have your sight fixed on the Lord, 
that He may free your feet from the ties of Satan ; 
and as you have the eyes of faith to see and know 
your God and Lord in that Host, let your endeavour 
be to become all tongue, so as to celebrate and 
glorify Him for all eternity. Amen. 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




THIRTY-SECOND MEDITATION. 



On receiving our blessed Lord in the manner in which He was 
welcomed in Zachary’s house. 

First Point. — Before Communion. 

Contemplate to-day the humility of Mary, the 
devotion of Elizabeth, the astonishment of Zachary, 
the joy of John, and the mercies of the Child-God. 

Consider how unprepared must Elizabeth have 
judged her house to be for receiving the King 
of Heaven Who entered into it. Incredulous was 
Zachary of the favour, and dumb to proclaim it. The 
maternal enclosure of the infant John would have 
little availed to hold him, had he not been held in the 
prison of sin. Elizabeth, rendered helpless from her 
advanced age and from being great with child, was 
prevented offering due homage; and seeing this, she 
resorts to the expedient of timidity, shrinking int© 
her humility, knowing that to be the greatest pre- 
paration for receiving such great guests, and in this 
way she supplied, by humiliations, the deficiency of 
preparation. 

Ponder, you who are to communicate, how to-day 
that same King and Lord comes to visit your house. 
If, then, He was hidden in the Virginal womb, here 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




136 SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS. 

He is concealed in a Host ; if there under the veils 
of purity, here under the accidents of bread. Reflect, 
how unprepared He finds you, and how deficient in 
all the virtues with which this Lord wishes to. be 
surrounded. Take the expedient of humility, be filled 
with astonishment that the Lord Who occupies the 
heavens should desire to be housed in your breast ; 
shrink within yourself with far greater reason than 
Saint Elizabeth, and provide by humility for your 
lack of devotion. 

Second Point. — At the Time of Communion. 

‘Whence is this to me/ cried Saint Elizabeth, 
though a cousin of Mary and a Saint, ‘that the 
Mother of my Lord should come to me ? When did 
I merit such happiness, I less than a slave, she the 
Queen of the Heavens ?’ Great word this of Saint 
Elizabeth, worthy example to those who communi- 
cate, ‘ Whence is this to me Y With these words 
should you commence, O my soul, when you 
welcome so high a Lord, repeating them many 
times. Whence to me, a vile worm, a miserable 
sinner, a deserver of hell — to me full of sins, un- 
grateful, base, and unthankful, to me, a worm of the 
earth, to me, dust and ashes, to me, nothingness, 
and even less than nothing? And that the very 
God Himself should come, that Infinite, immense 
and eternal Lord, not only to my house, but into my 
breast ; that He should enter not only within my 
doors, but within my lips ; that He should penetrate 
not only into the most hidden retreat, but reach my 



Digitized by Ljooole 




THIRTY-SECOND MEDITATION . 



37 



heart ? How is it that I am not confounded ? how 
do I not faint away? Without doubt I am truly 
insensible. 

Third Point.— After Communion. 

Ponder on Saint Elizabeth’s manner of welcoming 
her guest Mary, and how the infant John pays 
homage to the Child-God, in this house everything 
being in harmony, and no one slothful. The instant 
John feels himself freed from original sin he leaps 
in his eagerness to approach the Lord, as though 
he would say : * Oh ! come to me, my God and my 
Lord ! Oh ! do what is requisite that I may be 
able to approach Thee.’ How he would have em- 
braced Him, pressing Him closely, and have followed 
Him if he had been able ! His will was at once 
made manifest, for when Saint Elizabeth heard the 
voice of that purest ewe lamb, John acknowledged 
the Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the 
world, by bounding with leaps of delight, for there 
is no joy like that of being freed from sin. 

Reflect, you who have received the Lord, that if 
John could not be contained in his mother’s womb, 
through joy at feeling that his father’s house held 
the Infinite God, what bounds of joy should you not 
give in the paths of virtue, reaching even to life 
eternal, you who to-day have received Him within 
your very breast ! If John was so gladdened at 
feeling himself near to Him, how much should you 
be consoled, you who possess Him within yourself! 
But, alas ! you neither feel nor know Him. There 
the Lord remained in the womb of His most holy 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




138 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS. 



Mother, here He passes into your bosom. John 
could not at once approach the Lord, though he 
made great efforts, and you approach so near to 
Him that you unite yourself sacramentally to Him. 
Saint John desired to imprint his lips on the feet of 
that Lord the latchet of whose shoes he later on 
felt unworthy to loosen, and you receive Him with 
your lips, putting Him into your mouth, to eat and 
swallow Him ; endeavour, therefore, to live in Him, 
with Him, and for Him. 

Fourth Point. — In Thanksgiving. 

Everyone remained full of joy and gratitude, 
Elizabeth testifying both to her humility and the 
favour which filled her with the Holy Spirit, and 
to His mercies, exclaiming aloud as she returned 
thanks. The infant John no less rejoiced, for 
though he could not cry out, he made himself felt by 
his leaps — he who was to be the voice of the Lord, 
and ever afterwards employed himself in His Divine 
praises. The Virgin Mother sang, lifting up her 
voice, magnifying the Lord, the Worker of mercies 
and of wonders. 

Soul, be not struck dumb in the midst of so many 
voices of praise ; be yours the voice of exaltation 
with John, not the dumb silence of Zachary. Open 
your mouth in thanksgiving, for you have received 
the Holy Eucharist. Do not be silent like those who 
dwell in the solitude of the mountains, but be like one 
who belongs to the celestial court, full of gratitude 
and praise. Lift up your voice with Elizabeth, leap 
with John and exalt Him with Mary most holy ! 



Digitized by Ljooole 




THIRTY-THIRD MEDITATION. 



Oa no room being found in Bethlehem to receive the Child-God 
— applied to the Holy Communion. 

First Point. — Before Communion. 

Consider the bad dispositions of the inhabitants of 
Bethlehem : they received not into their houses One 
Whom they should have welcomed into their inmost 
hearts. Pride and cupidity had taken complete 
possession of them, and therefore no room was left 
for such a poor humble guest. They offered not 
even a corner to Him to Whom they should have 
offered their whole hearts. His kinsmen, blinded to 
their own interest, saw not the good that was coming 
in at their doors, for those who see not their God in 
the person of the poor, know not their God made 
poor. 

Listen, my soul ! for to-day that same Lord comes 
to knock at the door of your house ; if then He was 
hidden in the virginal enclosure, here He is enclosed 
in this Host. Disengage, then, your heart of every- 
thing that is of the world, and make room for all 
Heaven, for a heaven of heavens should be the 
bosom wherein this Infinite Child is to be housed. 
Endeavour, then, to adorn it with humility and with 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




140 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS . 



poverty of spirit, for these are the jewels which are 
so prized by this mighty Guest Whom you are 
expecting. 



Second Point. — At the Time of Communion. 

The pilgrims of Heaven seek a corner of the world 
to shelter them and do not find it ; they are unknown 
because those around them are ungrateful, nor do 
they deign even to look at or listen to them. Behold, 
here no room is to be found in the world to hold 
Him for Whom even the heavens are too narrow, and 
yet vile worms, for whom there is no place in Heaven, 
find the world too little for themselves. Contemplate 
the Virgin going from door to door, and finding them 
all closed, when so wide open are flung the portals of 
Heaven. She passes from the door of a relation to 
that of an acquaintance, all pretending that they 
knew them not, asking, ‘ Who art thou ?’ The 
Virgin would reply that she was a poor pilgrim, 
espoused to a poor carpenter ; and on hearing of so 
much poverty, they would shut the doors in their 
faces. Speak not thus, dear Lady, for the world 
comprehends not this language ; say that thou art 
the Princess of the earth, the Queen of Heaven, the 
Empress of all creation. 

But, O my soul ! those glorious titles abide at 
your door, for behold to-day this same Lady comes 
knocking to ask you for shelter, for room wherein 
the Child-God may be born. Be careful what you 
answer her, for often have you denied her entrance, 
with more rudeness than the people of Bethlehem, 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




THIRTY-THIRD MEDITATION . 141 

forasmuch as you have more faith. Enkindle your 
faith, then, and consider that the same Child-God 
Who then went seeking wherein to be born here 
seeks those who will receive Him ; there He was 
enveloped in virginal veils, here in pure white 
accidents. At the doors of the heart He calls, and 
there is no one to answer Him, He finds no one to 
receive Him, the beloved of the Eternal Father, the 
desired of the Angels ! Come, my soul, arise from 
the couch of your tepidity, quit your worldly delights; 
arise, do not become slothful, else He will pass on to 
a more blessed abode. 

Third Point. — After Communion. 

The Incarnate Word had no place wherein to be 
born. Oh, how the Angels would have sheltered Him 
in the midst of their winged hierarchy ! But that 
happiness is conceded to none ; it is reserved for you 
alone. Oh, you who attain to communicate, offer 
this Sacramental Child your bosom for an abode ; 
tear open your interior, and let the surroundings 
of your heart be Its swaddling clothes ! Tired out 
and feeling slighted, the Mother and her unborn 
Child retire to a stable, which the Lord made His 
abode, on account of its poverty and humility. 
Here they are received by the beasts with humanity 
whom men had turned away so cruelly. The Mother 
laid Him in a manger, alternating it with her lap. 
Amid the straw she lays that finest of wheat, and 
invites everyone to come to the House of Bread,* 
that all may eat. 

* Bethlehem signifies ‘ House of Bread.* 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




142 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS . 



Soul ! be not more insensible than the brutes ; the 
ox acknowledges its King, do you know your Master ? 
Gaze on Him with a lively faith, and you will find 
that the same Infant Who was laid in the manger 
really and truly is here on the altar ; and that, how- 
ever much you might there have approached to 
embrace and fondle Him, here you actually feed 
upon Him! There you might press Him to your 
bosom, here you put Him inside it. Allow Him, 
then, to be born in your heart, and let all your 
powers serve Him, some loving, some contemplating 
Him, but one and all adoring and serving Him. 



Fourth Point. — In Thanksgiving. 

There was found on earth no one to receive the 
Child-God, and when He was born there was no one 
to offer Him homage. It was necessary that the 
attendants of the court of Heaven should come 
down and proclaim glory to God and congratulate 
men of goodwill, announcing to them their happi- 
ness. 

Soul ! to-day Heaven itself has been transported 
into your breast, the Eternal Word from the bosom 
of the Father into your interior ; from the lap of His 
Mother He has come into your heart. How is it 
that you do not become all tongue to sing His 
praises, and that you do not melt away into tears of 
tenderness ? It is unbecoming that a mouth which 
has tasted such food should remain closed; lips 
that have been bathed with the tears of an Infant 
God, how is it that they remain so parched ? Beg 



Digitized by CjC. >Qle 




THIRTY-THIRD MEDITATION . 



M3 



of the Angels to lend you their tongues, in order 
that you may imitate their praises. Pray, sing, cry 
out loudly, saying, ‘ Be all the glory for God, and 
for me the fruit of peace together with a good and 
devout will.’ Amen. 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




THIRTY-FOURTH MEDITATION. 



On receiving the most Blessed Sacrament as a grain of wheat 
sown in your heart. 

First Point. — Before Communion. 

Consider that the celestial Husbandman is not only 
pleased to sow His Divine Word in the hearts of the 
faithful, but also desires to sow the Sacramental 
grain in their interior. It is usual with the careful 
labourer, before he consigns the fertile seed to the 
fruitful bosom of the earth, to dig and cultivate the 
ground much, rooting up all the noxious weeds, that 
they may not encumber it, burning the thorns, that it 
may not be choked by them, removing the stones, so 
that it may not be buried under them, for many 
obstacles occur before it commences to grow, and 
many after it springs up. 

Reflect, that to-day, for thy great happiness, the 
most fecund of grains and the richest seed of Heaven 
is to be sown in the lowly earth of thy breast, and 
in the pasture-field of thy heart. Endeavour, then, 
to prepare and till the ground before thou receivest 
it. Water it with tears to soften it ; pluck up its 
vices by the very roots, that they may not encumber 
it ; consume the thorns of cupidity, that it may not 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




THIRTY-FOURTH MEDITATION . 



145 



be choked by them ; remove all troublesome cares, 
that they may not hinder it ; take up the stones of 
thy hardness and coldness, that it may not be buried 
under them. In this manner, having thy interior 
well disposed and perfectly disengaged, thou mayest 
receive this generous grain, which by grace is to 
fructify, and which is to nourish thee with eternal 
life. 

Second Point. — At the Time of Communion. 

Having thus prepared the soil, the diligent sower, 
rising early, goes into his field, and with liberal 
hands strews the finest grain from his granaries ; the 
earth, receiving it in its soft bosom, enwraps and 
gives it life. The rain bestows moisture, the sun 
heat, the air breath. The fertile grain soon com- 
mences to give signs of life by coming up to the 
light, the virtue which it encloses swelling the germ, 
extending itself at the same time downwards towards 
a good depth, by spreading its roots with which to 
support itself, and also soaring high, that it may 
glory in luxuriant verdure. 

Reflect, that to-day the diligent Cultivator of your 
soul transports from the Divine bosom into your 
ground the most supersubstantial grain, the delight 
of heaven itself. Into your breast has it fallen ; 
encircle it with fervour, water it with tenderness, 
swell it with devotion, animate it with a lively faith, 
cover it with your hope, guard it with an ardent 
' charity, that, taking deep root in your interior 
through humility, it may grow up luxuriantly in your 
soul, and be crowned with the fruits of glory. 

10 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




146 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS . 



Third Point.— After Communion. 

Greatly to be admired is the gentle firmness with 
which the grain of wheat, taking hold of the earth, 
penetrates its depths, breaking through the crust, 
throwing aside the clay, that it may not become 
soiled by it, and fills the surrounding air with its 
vigorous life. Overcoming all the difficulties which 
contend against it — the hoar-frost which would blight 
it, the snows which would cover it, the ice which 
would deaden it, the winds which would tear it — and 
triumphing over every obstacle, it rises, grows, and 
stands prominently forth. Then does it change the 
green of its emerald luxuriance for the russet colour 
of the ears which* it crowns with gold, the beards 
forming the points. How lovely does the harvest 
look ! at one time fair by its verdure, and later on by 
its gold tints, cheering the eyes of the beholders, and 
more so of the owners who are to reap it. 

Reflect, that if all this is worked by a little 
material grain of wheat in a little earth, what will 
not the grain of Sacramental Wheat work in the 
bosom of him who worthily receives It? Give It 
room, that It may take firm root in your interior and 
grow through your powers, swelling in your heart, 
animated by your will, and crowning your spirit with 
the fruits of grace. Oh, how beautiful looks the field 
of your heart, teeming with the rich harvest of so 
many and such fervent Communions ! What a lovely 
sight for the Angels, and how pleasing to your great 
Owner, Who is God I Run in contemplation to see 
it, and with great joy enjoy it ; fill your soul with 
garlands of virtue and crowns of glory. 



Digitized by 



Google 




THIRTY-FOURTH MEDITATION . 



147 



Fourth Point. — In Thanksgiving. 

With what delight do the reapers take hold of the 
sickles ! how full of gladness do they use them ! 
And those who in sorrow had sallied out to strew 
the seed now reap with joy; they sowed in the cold, 
and now reap in the heat, proclaiming with loud 
cries their delight. But, alas! like noisy churls, 
they are more grasping than thankful to the Giver, 
spending in profanity the time which ought to have 
been employed in the Divine praises. 

Soul, you who to-day comprehend the fruits of 
that celestial seed, multiplied a hundredfold for 
each grain, do not imitate the reapers in their in- 
gratitude, but in their joy. Lift up your voice in the 
Divine praises, dedicate the songs of exultation on 
account of graces, to the exalting of His glory. 
Make the cymbal and psaltery resound with the 
tones of love, and with loud voices correspond to an 
infinite liberality by an eternal gratitude, repaying 
the debts of special graces by glorifying Him with 
tributes of eternal worship. Amen. 



io — 2 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




THIRTY-FIFTH MEDITATION. 



Receiving the Child- Jesus banished to the Egypt of your 
heart. 

First Point. — Before Communion. 

Consider how badly this earth accords with the 
King of Heaven. The foxes have their burrows and 
the birds of the air their nests, but the Lord finds no 
place wherein He can rest, for the son of death and 
of sin persecutes the Author of grace and of life. 
How quickly is He made to leave the city of flowers 
Who was born for thorns ! In His Mother’s arms 
He journeys towards Egypt, the region of plagues 
and of darkness. But how inhumanly those Egyp- 
tians disown Him, and with what rudeness do they 
receive Him, shutting their doors upon the good 
which was coming to them ! 

Soul, to-day the same Child-God is proceeding to 
the Egypt of your heart. If there He was wrapped 
in swaddling clothes, here He is enveloped in the 
accidents of bread. It is not terror which brings Him, 
but love ; He flies not from the sons of men, but seeks 
them, placing His delight in being with them. Do 
not receive Him like a boorish Egyptian, but like a 
courtier of heaven ; and if your heart be an Egypt, 



Digitized by L-ooQle 



THIRTY-FIFTH MEDITATION . 



149 



covered with the darkness of ignorance, full of the 
idols of your desires, let them fall at once to the 
ground ; let the palms rise in triumph, and the 
flowers of virtue bloom ; let the fountains of grace 
burst forth, and the true God be praised and 
adored. 

Second Point. — At the Time of Communion. 

A long and wearisome journey was that of the 
three pilgrims from Jerusalem to Egypt, and worse 
still was the reception which they met, for they 
suffered all the inconveniences of the journey, and 
they had not the comforts of rest. No one cared to 
house them, because they saw them so poor, and 
strangers ; and if even amongst their relations and 
acquaintances they had found no shelter, what must 
it have been amongst foreigners to whom they were 
entirely unknown! They shrank away from them 
as from adventurers, saying : ‘ They must have had 
some reason for flying away from their country.’ It 
would have been better had they said, * from their 
heaven.’ They feared lest they came to rob them of 
their goods, they who came to possess their hearts. 
They looked upon them as outcasts, and as they 
understood not the motive, so they suspected the 
worst. They knew not the hidden treasure nor the 
concealed good that came to them — rather they were 
fearful lest they came to rob them of land, He who 
came to give them heaven itself. ‘ Where will 
the pilgrim Child-God be sheltered ? Where will 
He go ?’ 



Digitized by Cjooole 




150 SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS . 

0 Man ! to- your heart He appeals ; your bosom 
does He choose for His abode. You who know Him 
receive Him. Oh, He comes weeping; let your 
bowels be moved to compassion. The Egyptians 
have rudely shut the doors in their faces ; do you 
open wide the doors of your hearts. Listen ! He 
calls at your door with tears and with sighs. Hush 
Him with tenderness. Banished does He come 
from the bosom of the Father into your breast. 
Reflect, What should be the welcome ? From the 
wings of the Cherubim He is transported to the wings 
of your heart, and therefore a cold, indifferent wel- 
come is not sufficient. He comes in a white robe, 
for His colour is purity. Give Him shelter in the 
midst of your soul in emulation of Heaven itself. 

. Third Point. — After Communion. 

For seven years were the citizens of heaven 
banished to Egypt — how unknown to men ! how 
attended by the Angels ! But how little profit did 
the Egyptians derive during all that time from their 
company ! Thus the Lord left them as He had 
found them ; and so does it occur to many when 
they communicate. The amiability of the Child- 
God, the gentleness of the Virgin, or, the good 
manners of St. Joseph, were not sufficient to win 
them over, for they were as hapless as they had 
been ungrateful ; and if they ate the gods which 
they adored, or invested with deity the things which 
they ate, well might they at least have adored as a 
God that God Who was to give Himself to them as 
food. 



Digitized by 



Google 




THIRTY-FIFTH MEDITATION . 151 

Reflect how many there are who receive the Lord 
in this manner, who do not attend on Him, or pay 
Him homage. He comes in and goes out, and they 
derive not the profit which they might. They are 
deeply ingulfed in their Egypt, wedded to the 
world, and so they perceive not the goods that are 
eternal.’ But do not you receive the Lord in the 
fashion of Egypt, for you know Him in a heavenly 
manner. Enkindle your faith, and recognise Him, 
for though He comes so meekly, He is the King of 
the Celestial Jerusalem. Endeavour not to lose the 
fruit, not of seven hours only, but of seven years of 
His residence in your breast, and even of your whole 
life, employing it all in Communions as fervent as 
they be frequent. 

Fourth Point. — In Thanksgiving. 

The Egyptians manifest no sign of sorrow at 
seeing that the Child-God is going away and leaving 
them ; they do not implore Him to remain, they 
who had no desire that He should have come 
amongst them at all. They feel not His departure, 
who neither cared for His coming nor appreciated 
His assistance. I would not that you who have 
welcomed that same Lord to-day should be so un- 
fortunate and ungrateful. Oh ! what little trace 
abides in some souls to show that the Lord has 
dwelt with them ! How little remains of the sweet 
odour of God ! and how much of the world ! What 
little profit do they draw from their Communions, 
when they could have gleaned so much that is 
heavenly ! 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




152 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS. 



Endeavour ever to keep bright and fresh the 
memory of the visit, and the abiding of this Lord 
within your heart ; keep your will full of affection, 
and your understanding full of grateful recognition. 
Oh ! how lovely a Child you received ! Take care that 
He does not go from you, remain deeply loving and 
impressed with His sweet Presence. Sigh to receive 
Him again, and if the first time you did not know 
Him, endeavour to learn how to enjoy Him in 
subsequent Communions. 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




THIRTY-SIXTH MEDITATION. 

The marriage feast of Cana applied to the Communion. 

First Point. — Before Communion. 

Consider that if in other marriage feasts every- 
thing has the odour of worldly profanity, in this one 
everything was characterized by heavenly disposi- 
tions. It was a pious thought of the bride and 
bridegroom to invite the Saviour, in order that 
beginning with virtue they might secure their pro- 
gress in happiness. Nor did they forget His most 
holy Mother, thus securing, indeed, the Star of bliss. 
The Apostles also assisted, which was a stirring 
proof of the rich charity of the bride and bridegroom, 
who, while lacking material opulence, nevertheless 
overflowed with the spirit of generosity. This dis- 
position in those who were to receive Jesus, and to 
seat Him at their table, was glorious for meriting 
His mercies — the merit being the greater, inasmuch 
as they had so little experience of the wonders of 
Christ ; for they had not yet seen Him work a single 
miracle, and they deserved that His first one should 
be done in their regard. 

If to-day you are welcoming into your home and 
into your bosom that same Jesus, Who is your 



Digitized by CjOOQle 



154 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS. 



Lord and Master, and your every remedy, the 
spouse and invited guest to the marriage of your 
soul, reflect that it is necessary to furnish yourself 
with as many virtues as they did, beginning with a 
lively faith, followed by an ardent charity and a 
firm confidence, which may induce Him to work in 
you similar wonders. 

Second Point.— At the Time of Communion. 

It is a deep subject of consideration that in the 
midst of the feast the wine should fail, and with it 
the joy signified by it. Such is the usual bitterness 
of all earthly pleasures which disappear in an 
instant, leaving the honey on the lips, but gall in the 
heart, inviting with wine and filling with poison. 
The pious ones of Cana rush to obtain the delights 
of heaven, which are true and everlasting, by making 
the Mother their Mediatrix. This was a great 
means for securing the mercies of her Son, for it is 
not said that they spent time or words in represent- 
ing their necessities to this Lady, because as she was 
compassionate, it was sufficient that she should be 
made aware of their present need. They applied to 
Mary, and Mary applied to Jesus, which is in the 
order of Divine Providence. 

To-day, my soul, like the spouses of Cana, hasten 
in search of those celestial comforts whose fountain 
flows here on the Altar — a fountain which, besides 
producing the best of all wine, possesses the excel- 
lence of being perennial, and though it appears new, 
is eternal. Leave the false pleasures of the earth, 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




THIRTY-SIXTH MEDITATION. 



155 



ere they leave you. Remember that when least you 
imagine it they disappear, and God only remains; 
worldly pleasures do not fill, but this Divine food 
alone it is which satisfies. 

Third Point. — After Communion. 

The Lord, Who is ever compassionate, and is now 
won over by the prayer of His Mother, quickly 
makes a commencement of His Divine wonders, 
as well as of His remedies for man. He turns 
water into wine — that is to say, changes the taste- 
lessness of the things of this world into the consola- 
tions of heaven. The wine was generous, because 
it was a symbol of this Divine Sacrament, and a 
gift from His generous Hands, for gifts from God 
are always perfect. As the guests one and all 
began to obtain the miraculous wine, they joined in 
its praise, not wasting a drop, everyone tasting it, 
and wondering, so that all remained satisfied with 
a feast which had finished with so good a relish. 

Reflect that to-day the Lord works a far more 
miraculous favour for the guests invited to His 
Table, and one much more delicious in its flavour ; 
taste and see how much richer is the wine which He 
this day offers you. That other wine was the result 
of His Omnipotence ; the wine He offers you here 
is the work of His Infinite Love. In the marriage 
of Cana the Lord bade the servants fill the water- 
pots with water ; but here He lays open His side 
for you to drink from that Fountain of His Precious 
Blood, and if the Bride of the Canticles so greatly 



Digitized by Ljooole 




156 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS . 



prized having been brought by the King into the 
storerooms of His wines — namely, the Divine conso- 
lations — how much more ought you to acknowledge 
the favour of His having opened for you to-day the 
ever-flowing fountains of His precious Blood. Come 
with thirst, beloved souls ! drink and be inebriated 
with Divine love, and say with the chief steward, 
‘ Oh, who would not have come to this table long 
before now ! Oh, who would not have frequented 
this divinest of Sacraments from the very beginning 
of his life, and time after time !’ 

Fourth Point. — In Thanksgiving. 

Grateful thanks to its Author were the effects 
produced by this excellent wine. No sooner did 
the guests know of this prodigy than they published 
it abroad. But the bridal pair, feeling as powerless 
to offer a sufficient acknowledgment as they felt 
thankful for the favour conferred, corresponded to 
the marvel by reiterated thanksgivings to Christ. 
The guests also thanked with loud praises, and with 
good reason, because a wine so generous, which 
produces the chastest lilies, should be proclaimed 
on earth and in heaven. Amongst the whole com- 
pany, Mary, who was the first discoverer of purity, 
returned thanks on behalf of all for having received 
on that day such a favour in recompense for the 
streams of purest milk which she had ministered to 
her Son. 

My Soul ! In order that this Lady may assist 
you to work out so many advantageous favours, 



Digitized by L-ooole 




THIRTY SIXTH MEDITATION . 



.157 



supplicate her by increased thankfulness; for the 
greatest of all marvels in perfection are not fulfilled 
without especial praises of thanksgiving. Oh ! that 
gratitude would correspond to grace! for, indeed 
if that miracle was the first of the signs of Christ, 
this Blessed Sacrament of His love is the seal of 
His affections and the triumph of His love. 



Digitized by Ljooole 




THIRTY-SEVENTH MEDITATION. 

Receiving the lost Child- Jesus, Who is found on the altar. 

First Point. — Before Communion. 

Meditate to-day how afflicted such a Mother 
must be without her Son — and such a son ! She 
is as disconsolate as she is lonely, the loneli- 
ness she endures of itself doubling her sorrow 
because she misses Him Who is to be her consola- 
tion for all other losses. She cannot rest, for with- 
out Jesus there is no being satisfied; she can take 
no comfort, for there is nothing which can supply 
for the want of God. It is said that eyes which see 
not do not break the heart, but here she sees not, 
and her eyes are fountains of tears, because their 
light is wanting ; she breaks out in tender sighs — 
enticements for her absent God ; she well knows the 
value of what she has lost, and thus employs all her 
diligence in seeking Him. 

Reflect, my soul, that if merely losing Jesus from 
her sight caused the Mother such great grief, what 
sorrow can suffice for the loss of Him and His 
grace ? And even should your unhappiness not be 
so great as to have lost Him altogether, neverthe- 



Digitized by CjpOQle 




THIRTY-SEVENTH MEDITATION . 



159 



less weep that He should have absented Himself 
from you through your own tepidity. Hasten forth 
quickly on the wings of desire in search of Him; 
call Him with sighs — let it cost you at least a tear 
to find Him ; and if the Virgin had no rest until she 
had found Him, do you, when you have found Him, 
receive Him and rest in the sleep of contemplation. 

Second Point. — At the Time of Communion. 

The Virgin Mother went out seeking her Child- 
God, as much desired as He was loved. She sought 
Him, not like the spouse on the couch of His rest, 
but amongst the mountains of myrrh. She goes, 
that solitary dove, in search of her absent Love. 
His voice has been heard in the land, for the time of 
mortification has come. Bleating goes that guileless 
ewe-lamb, asking for the lambkin of God, for once 
before had Herod, that cruel wolf, desired to devour 
Him. She questions His relations and acquaintances, 
for they ought to be able to give some tidings of 
Him. Then she hastens to the Temple, and she has 
judged rightly, for a good son is sure to be found in 
the house of his good Father. 

Learn, Soul, this discipline and the manner of 
finding God. You will not meet with Him in the 
noise of the streets, and still less in the bustle of the 
market-places, nor among worldly friendships or 
relations, but in the Temple, which is the house of 
prayer. Let, then, the Church be your centre, seek 
Him in the Tabernacles, for there His love keeps 
Him imprisoned. Let your pleasures cost you tears, 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




i6o 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS . 



and your comforts sorrow ; call Him with sighs, and 
you will obtain His favours. 



Third Point.— After Communion. 

The Virgin enters the Temple, and discovers in 
the midst of the doctors the Wisdom of the Father. 
Her joy has now repaid her sorrow. Blessed are 
they who weep, for they shall be richly consoled. 
The rising Sun wiped the tears of the Aurora, 
calming that deluge of tears when the Ark of peace 
appeared. Great is the joy of finding God at the 
moment that He is recognised by the one who 
desires Him. What a tender embrace did she give 
Him ! How she must have pressed Him to her 
bosom, saying with the spouse, ‘ A bundle of myrrh 
was my Beloved when lost, now as a nosegay of 
flowers between my breasts will He ever abide !’ 
Three days did it cost her to find Him, and in them 
she poured out thousands of sighs, tears, searchings, 
prayers and sorrows, that she might better appre- 
ciate the treasure she had found. Reflect, my soul, 
that it does not cost you so much to find this Lord, 
for you have Him whensoever you wish, and always 
on the Altar ; see how near at hand He is, and to 
your mouth. But I would not wish that this very 
facility of finding Him should be an occasion for 
you to undervalue the gift; I speak not now of 
losing Him. Receive Him then to-day with the 
affection and tenderness of His most holy Mother ; 
seal your lips on Him, for you are not only per- 
mitted to adore Him, but to feed upon Him ; not only 



Digitized by 



Google 




THIRTY-SEVENTH MEDITATION . 161 

to embrace but to receive Him as food, keep Him 
within your heart and enclose Him in it. Repeat 
with the Spouse : ‘ A bundle of myrrh is my Beloved 
to me ; between my breasts He will abide ’ — the. one 
being the understanding, the other the will ; the one 
contemplating Him, the other ardently loving Him. 

♦ 

Fourth Point. — In Thanksgiving. 

The Virgin Mother, being ever as grateful as she 
was gracious, must have returned intoning a new 
canticle to God for having restored to her again her 
beloved Jesus. She flew on the wings of a loving 
heart, and she returned with the cries of a grateful 
throat, praising the mercies of the Lord, con- 
gratulating herself with the Angels on her happiness 
in having found the Grace of all graces, and the 
Fountain of them all. How jealously must she for 
the future have watched and guarded her Child-God, 
never losing sight of Him, and forestalling by thank- 
fulness the risk of losing Him again ! 

Oh, my soul, you who to-day have found this 
same Lord on the Altar, attended by pure souls 
joined with the Angels, surrounded by wise Cherubim 
in place of the doctors, you who find yourself with 
the Child-God within your bosom, what canticles 
should you not sing ! Let your appreciation of the 
treasure found be known by your gratitude ; be not 
ungrateful if you do not wish to be unhappy. Take 
care that you do not lose Him again, thus incurring 
the risk of losing Him for ever ; keep Him within 
your heart, for He is all your riches ; be careful not 
to open its doors to sin, for this would rob you of Him. 

n 



Digitized by L.ooole 




THIRTY-EIGHTH MEDITATION, 



On the banquet in the desert where the Angels ministered to the 
Lord, applied to the Sacrament. 

First Point. — Before Communion. 

Contemplate Christ our good, how He retires 
from the noise of the world to commune with His 
Eternal Father, fasting forty days, to teach us to 
join mortification with prayer, the two wings with 
which to fly to the kingdom of God. For what the 
body lacks in food is replenished in the spirit by 
Divine consolations. How good a preparation is 
this of prayer and fasting — desert and heaven, 
austerity and contemplation — for meriting the favour 
which the Eternal Father sends Him, and which the 
Angels bring, as they also bring it to those who live 
like the Angels ! 

Study, soul, what that is which your Divine 
Master is teaching you by His example. It is 
necessary to furnish yourself with the safeguard of 
virtues in order that you may sit at the table of His 
delights. Fly from men that Angels may favour 
you ; let your conversation be in Heaven, for you 
are nourished with its Bread ; deny yourself the 
viands of earth that you may with greater relish 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




THIRTY-EIGHTH MEDITATION. 163 

enjoy celestial food. Seek to obtain a great love of 
retirement, of prayer, of mortification, of austerity 
of life, and you will enjoy with delight this Divine 
banquet. 



Second Point. — At the Time of Communion. 

Not only was the reception of the gifts of Heaven 
preceded by a fast of so many days, but by the 
achievement of three signal victories against the 
three greatest of enemies, thus teaching us that we 
ought to conquer before communicating, and that 
victory goes before the triumphal celebration. Let 
the flesh with its feastings be conquered, the world 
with its riches, and the devil with his pride ; let our 
whole lives be a victory over the delights of interest 
and pride. 

The Lord did not accept the false invitation of 
the devil, and so He obtained that Angels should 
minister to Him : the one offered Him stones for 
bread, and these presented Him with bread instead 
of stones. Let him be seated at the King’s table 
who has conquered kings. 

Consider yourself to-day in the desert of this 
world, and invited to the Bread of Heaven. It is 
at the King’s table that you are to be seated ; 
examine, therefore, whether you have conquered 
kings, the vices which have reigned in you. Ap- 
proach not fettered with the irons of the captive to 
the table of the liberty of the Son of God. He 
who is to feast with God, and of God, is not to come 
filled with the food of the world, for you would not 

11 — 2 



Digitized by 



Gc >gle 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS . 



164 

relish the bread of Angels if you came gorged with 
the stones of Satan. 

Third Point. — After Communion. 

The Son of God suffered hunger as a man, but 
the Eternal Father, Who sent His prophet a loaf of 
bread by a raven, to-day sends His beloved Son food 
by His winged ministers. What food this was is 
not mentioned; that remains for your contempla- 
tion. Assuredly bread would not be wanting where 
Angels intervene ; moreover, where there is a 
famished Son, and one so beloved, this Divine 
Father would have far surpassed the father of the 
Prodigal. But however dainty that food of Angels 
might have been, it never could equal that which 
is offered you to-day by the Lord of the Angels 
Himself, for He has invited you, and He bestows 
Himself on you as food. 

Reflect with what joy would you have sat at the 
side of the Lord in the desert, with what delight 
would you have partaken of that bread which came 
down from Heaven ; but animate your faith, and 
comprehend that here you possess the same Lord — 
with Him you eat, and of Him. He is the One 
Who invites you, and He is Himself the banquet. 
Oh that you would partake of Him as hungrily as 
the Lord hungers for your heart ! Behold, it is a 
gift of Heaven ; eat it with zest — eat like an angel, 
for the Angels serve you, envying you whilst they 
are serving you. 



Digitized by L.ooQle 




THIRTY EIGHTH MEDITATION . 



165 



Fourth Point. — In Thanksgiving. 

The Lord returned thanks as a Son to Him Who 
had proved Himself so good a Father — by eternal 
gratitude to One Who was eternal and perfect, by 
gratitude also to One Who was so liberal. Raising 
His eyes to Heaven, as He had done at other times, 
and elevating those of His Soul, He fixed them on 
those liberal hands of His Father, celebrating desire 
with power, whilst the understanding comprehended 
how to value with accuracy what it perceived; and the 
will attaining its object by ceaseless acts of affection, 
He would intone hymns which the angelic choirs 
would continue, employing all His strength and 
power in returning thanks for the benefits of which 
all had partaken. 

Imitate, O my soul, this Lord, in giving thanks, 
for in receiving favours He thanks the Eternal 
Father for having treated you as a son. Let many 
canticles of praise resound in a mouth which has 
received the Eternal Word as its nourishment, 
filling your heart with gratitude, and let your lips 
speak from the abundance of your heart, showing 
throughout all your powers the vigour which they 
have derived from this Divine food. 



Digitized by L-ooQle 




THIRTY-NINTH MEDITATION. 

On receiving the Lord with the triumphal palms. 

First Point. — Before Communion. 

Mark how the humble ones go out to receive the 
humble Jesus, the poor to meet the poor One, the 
children, the lowly, and the meek to greet the Lamb, 
all bearing olive-branches prophesying peace, and 
with palms announcing victory. The rich ones do 
not venture out, being detained by the manacles of 
gold, nor the proud, who worship the idol of their 
vanity, nor the luxurious, whose god is their belly. 
The humble are those who shall bear away the 
palm, and even heaven itself; they strew their 
garments on the ground, that the Lord may tread 
on them, for the poor, as a rule, give more in their 
poverty to God than the rich, who bestow most on 
the world. 

The Lord perfects His praise in the voices of the 
little ones, who, still with the milk of guilelessness 
on their lips, speak the truth, flattery being far from 
them ; in this manner, all the triumph of Christ is 
composed of humility, poverty, innocence, guile- 
lessness, and truth. O soul ! you who are to re- 
ceive the same Lord in your breast, be careful to 



Digitized by Cjocwle 




THIRTY-NINTH MEDITATION. 167 

meet Him with the triumph of virtues, for there is 
no disposition more acceptable to the affability of a 
God made man than the humility of the Apostles, 
the simplicity of a lowly woman, the innocence of 
children, and the poverty of a few fishermen. 

Second Point. — At the Time of Communion. 

‘ Who is this One that cometh in with so noisy a 
retinue ?’ demand the proud ones ; and the humble, 
who know Him better, reply: ‘This is Jesus, He of 
Nazareth.* They would have given a sufficient 
answer if they had said * Saviour and beautiful 
but let the Royal Prophet respond and exclaim : 
‘ This One Who comes riding on an ass is the One 
enthroned on the wings of the cherubim.* Let the 
Spouse speak : ‘ This fair One in His robe of inno- 
cence, and ruddy with His charity, is the chosen 
amongst thousands.’ Let St. Paul speak and say: 
‘ This One to whom the people do homage is the 
adored One of the Angelic choirs.’ Let Isaias 
exclaim : ‘ This One Who is surrounded by infants 
is the God of armies.’ 

But you, O my soul, demand : ‘ Who is this Lord, 
Who to-day comes entering into the recesses of my 
breast, triumphing into my heart ?’ Listen to faith 
who answers you : ‘ This One Who comes enclosed 
in a host is that boundless God Who is not con- 
tained in the universe ;’ this One Who enters under 
the veil of the accidents is the mirror in which the 
Eternal Father delights to see Himself reflected; 
this One Whom all your powers adore is the One 



Digitized by L.ooQle 




SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS . 



1 68 

Whom the winged hierarchy worship. If the 
people from the towns who knew Him not thus 
court Him, if the children thus receive Him with 
acclamations, with what adornment then should you 
receive Him, with what splendour place Him on the 
throne of your heart ! 

Third Point. — After Communion. 

The whole city was moved, some admiring the 
triumph, others lauding it; let then your whole 
interior be moved, the understanding by admiration, 
the will by ardour ; let your heart be filled with joy, 
and your interior with tenderness ; let your tongue 
break out in cries, and clap your hands. If there 
they strewed their garments on the ground, do you 
cast the surroundings of your heart at His feet. 
There they waved to and fro hallowed palms ; do 
you raise the victorious palms of your vanquished 
passions, sprays of interior peace. The tender 
infants left the breasts of their mothers, and with 
lisping tongues praised their Creator; do you re- 
nounce the breast of your unnatural stepmother the 
world, and employ your lips in song, saying : * Blessed 
be Thou, my King and my Lord, Who cometh 
triumphing in the Name of the Lord; be Thou as 
welcomed in my interior as Thou art desired of my 
heart — the triumph of my soul and all its powers, 
consecrating them anew to-day to Thy greater 
praise and homage.* 



Digitized by LjOOQle 



THIRTY-NINTH MEDITATION . 



169 



Fourth Point. — In Thanksgiving. 

But, alas ! after having been so acclaimed by all, 
Christ was received by none ; no one was found to 
offer Him even a corner in their homes, nor a place 
at their tables; all their praise ended in exclamations, 
none extended to deeds. They abandoned Him in His 
necessity — yea, those very persons who had joined 
Him in His triumph : and in an instant all the children 
had disappeared, not a single one remained. Thus 
in a moment do all human favours vanish ; the Lord 
alone remains in His Father’s house, which is ever 
open to His children. 

Oh what a good occasion, my soul, this is for 
you to approach and offer Him your lowly abode ! 
You received Him with applause, then court Him 
with perseverance. Offer Him your house, for being 
so great a King, He will send the food and seat you 
at His side, and in place of the milk of infancy which 
you left, He will give you the wine of the strength of 
manhood. Let the mouth that has been closed to 
profane delights be opened to the Divine praises, 
and the tongue which has received Him be con- 
stantly employed extolling Him ; let your taste 
correspond with a just thankfulness. Be not you 
amongst those who to-day receive Him in triumph, 
and to-morrow drag Him forth to crucify Him. 



Digitized by Ljooole 



FORTIETH MEDITATION. 



In which is compared the good disposition of St. John with the 

bad disposition of Judas at the Lord’s Supper. 

First Point. — Before Communion. 

Meditate on the evil disposition with which Judas 
approached the sacred Communion, and how well 
prepared was St. John. The first was an infidel and 
a traitor, whose interior repelled its food, whilst the 
beloved John and faithful disciple rested his head on 
his Master’s breast. Judas, blinded by his cupidity, 
bargains to sell the bread of Angels to the devils ; 
but vigilant John, with his eagle eyes, guards it as 
he gazes in contemplation on that best of bosoms. 
Judas barters the food, exchanging the most Divine 
of favours for the most inhuman of all ingratitudes, 
and John remains tranquil, reposing on the breast of 
his Master. 

Reflect how often have you approached the sacred 
Communion like Judas, and how seldom like John; 
how desirous of terrestrial goods, how given up to 
vile pleasures ! With treachery in your body, barter- 
ing for a vile interest, an infamous revenge, a filthy 
desire, the riches of all the heavens, the Lamb of 
God, the joy of the Angels. Take warning, and 



Digitized by 



Google 



FORTIETH MEDITATION . 



171 

endeavour for the future to approach, not perfidiously, 
like Judas, but like John, true valuer of the Divine 
favours, obtaining happiness, and enjoying its gifts. 

Second Point. — At the Time of Communion. 

Judas, when he has enclosed the Lamb of God in 
his impious interior, goes out and barters a heaven 
for a hell. He reposes not like John, for there is no 
rest in sin ; and from having been made a favoured 
disciple of the Lord, he becomes a leader of His 
enemies. He goes out from amongst the greatest 
friends, and proceeds to His enemies. To such 
extremes does he reach who falls from so high a 
position. * What will you give me for that Man V he 
asks them ; ‘ for little indeed will I sell Him to you. 
Give me what you choose, and He shall be yours.’ 
And His enemies would make answer : * As to His 
worth, He would be dear at any price.’ 

Ponder on the incredible depreciation of God 
which sinners make of Him ; how little do they 
estimate how much He is worth ! They prefer a 
vile pleasure, even a Barabbas, which is saying 
much, and this occurs every day. Imagine yourself, 
my soul ! approaching Judas, and that you say to 
him : ‘ Sell Him to me, traitor, and I will pay you 
with my soul and with my life. I will give every- 
thing and all that I am, for He is my God and my 
All. I know what He is worth, and of what value 
He is to me !* My soul, purchase Him at any price ! 
But, ah ! you have not to buy Him, for He is given 
you gratis as Bread. Come and buy, without money, 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




172 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS . 



the food that is priceless, but beware that you do not 
sell It at the price of a gratification, thus returning 
to the vomit of your sins. 

Third Point. — After Communion. 

Compare now the Saviour’s infinite goodness with 
the enormous iniquity of Judas, His benignity with 
his ingratitude, His meekness with his brutality. 
Judas approaches the garden, which, if it had 
flowers before, is now full of thorns. Having be- 
come the leader of the executioners, and the worst 
amongst the wicked, he goes advancing near to 
Jesus with the body, though widening still more his 
distance from Him in the spirit, and audaciously 
touches His Divine countenance with his filthy, 
polluted lips. Oh, cheeks so basely used, which the 
Angels desire to behold ! He denies him not His 
face, He Who had given Himself to him for food. He 
loathes not that vile mouth, He Who had entered the 
very recesses of his frame, rather with the affability 
of a lamb, He calls Him 1 Friend,’ a greeting which 
ought to have softened a diamond, and even 
humanized a tiger ; but oh, hardness of the ob- 
stinate sinner ! ‘ Friend,’ He says, * for what art 

thou come ?’ Judas was unable to answer, and 
knew not what to say. 

Soul, when you communicate, reflect that He asks 
you, saying : ‘ Friend, for what comest thou ? 
to receive Me or to sell Me ? Dost thou come like 
the beloved John or like the traitor Judas ?’ What 
do you answer ? what does your conscience tell you ? 
Consider that the Lord whom you possess here in 



Digitized by 



Google 



FORTIETH MEDITATION. 



173 



this host is the same One Who was in the garden, 
and that not only do you come to kiss, but to receive 
and feed on Him. Beware you do not approach 
inimically, but lovingly, not to bind Him, but to 
imprison Him in your heart ; not to throw a halter 
on His neck and hands, but the bands of love* 
Endeavour to come with a loving reverence and 
a faithful joy to receive and carry away this meekest 
of Lambs. 

Fourth Point. — In Thanksgiving. 

Judas did not return thanks after this sacred 
Supper — he who had eaten sacrilegiously. How could 
he be grateful who was a dissembler ? He sold the 
bread of friendship to his greatest enemies, which 
was to throw it to raving dogs, the most precious 
pearl to the filthiest swine ; but the end of all this 
is much to be pondered upon, for he elected to punish 
himself, being the executioner of his own body, he 
who had been the executioner of his own soul. 

Consider how the first unworthy communicant was 
punished, paying for it with his life. Let his punish- 
ment be your warning; resolve to be grateful and 
you will be pardoned; loosen your throat that it 
may pour forth due praises ; let the lips that have 
been imprinted on the cheeks of Christ with true 
signs of peace be opened wide on the day of your 
Communion in devout canticles of gratitude. Do 
not seek the door with the Lord in your bosom, like 
Judas, but calm yourself, and repose in contempla- 
tion like the beloved disciple. 



Digitized by Cjooole 




FORTY-FIRST MEDITATION. 



On some of the stages of the Sacred Passion applied to Holy 
• Communion. 

First Point. — Before Communion. 

Consider how Christ our Lord, on that memorable 
night of His leaving us, being lovingly desirous of 
remaining with men, and wishing to perpetuate the 
memory of His Passion, found a means of satisfying 
His remembrance and His affection by eternizing 
His love and His sufferings in this marvellous 
Sacrament, so that it should ever be the centre of 
His perfections and a memorial of His Passion. 
He therefore charges all who receive it to renew the 
memory of how much He loved us, and also of all 
that He suffered. 

Approach, therefore, oh you who are to com- 
municate, and receive your God and Lord sacra- 
mentally in the midst of His favours and sorrows, 
tasting His sweetness in the midst of your defi- 
ciencies, He being most acceptable when most 
sorrowful, and the most loved by you in proportion 
as He was for your sake most cruelly treated. 
Contemplate Him in some passage of His sacred 
Passion, and receive Him at one time as watering 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




FORTY-FIRST MEDITATION. 



175 



the garden with His blood and your soul with grace. 
Now bound, and His hands tied and fettered with 
the cruel cords of hatred ; at other times, like a 
withering flower of the fields, His Divine cheeks 
dyed red with blows, that the roses on His cheeks 
might bloom as much as the thorns flourished on 
His head. Contemplate Him again, bound to a pillar, 
made a ‘non plus ultra ’ of His love and suffering, 
His body torn open with stripes, from which flowed 
a great deluge of blood, due to the cruel tempest 
of your iniquities, the scorned of men and the 
desired of Angels, that mirror without spot in which 
the Eternal Father is reflected, and on which He 
delights to gaze, being soiled with filthy spittle. 
Now carrying on His shoulders the tree, as Isaac 
bore the wood for the sacrifice ; and, lastly, raised 
on a cross, with His arms ever open to pardon you, 
and nailed for your chastisement, His feet fixed to 
await you gently at your leisure, inclining His head 
and calling you unceasingly. In this manner, when 
you communicate, make a tender commemoration 
of His bitter Passion with your loving compassion. 

Second Point. — At the Time of Communion. 

Animate, therefore, your faith, and elevate your 
contemplation ; for the same God and Lord Who 
then suffered in that passage, on which you may 
meditate, is really and truly the same Who is here 
in person in the Sacrament which you receive. It 
is the same Jesus, your every good, Who was on 
Calvary, that you enclose in your breast. Consider 



Digitized by Cjooole 



176 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS . 



that if you had found yourself there with the 
faith which you now possess, with the illumination 
which you obtain from the occasion of your present 
meditation, and the dolorous passage which you 
contemplate, with what love would you have 
approached your Lord ! Although you might have 
had to tear your way in the midst of those inhuman 
executioners, with what tenderness would you have 
spoken to Him, what conversations would you have 
held ! How you would have embraced Him ! How 
you would have compassionated Him on His suffer- 
ings — and those undergone, too, for you ! How you 
would have pressed Him in your embrace, and fled 
with Him from the cruelty of His torments, restor- 
ing Him to peace and rest within your breasts ! 

Oh, my soul, you who know as you believe that 
this is the same Lord as that One, do here what you 
would then have done there, remembering that you 
are still in time. Imagine when you communicate 
that you are come to the Garden, and that you wipe 
away the copious sweat of blood with the folds of 
your heart, that you approach the pillar, and that 
you sever His cords in order to encircle Him in 
your arms, healing His wounds by placing in each 
a piece of your heart. Imagine that you press His 
crowned Head to your bosom, even if its thorns 
pierce you, and that you seat Him on the throne 
of your heart ; that you take Him from the arms 
of that Cross where He hangs with such love into 
your interior, wherein He may repose. Communi- 
cate at one time in the Garden, at another at the 
pillar, to-day in the street of bitterness, and to- 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




FORTY-FIRST MEDITATION . 



1 77 



morrow on Calvary, enkindling with faith your 
devotion. 

Third Point.— After Communion. 

Oh, how much you would have appreciated 
assisting at those dolorous episodes of your redemp- 
tion ! Oh, how highly you would have estimated 
your happiness, whatever pain you might have felt, 
at finding yourself present on all those occasions in 
which the Lord suffered ! Oh, who would not 
have found themselves present, you repeat, again 
and again, with the affections which I now possess, 
at those dolorous steps of the Passion ! But remark 
that you are not too late, and that you are even in 
timely season. Here you have the same Lord Who 
then suffered, and if He is not now enduring actual 
dolours, He represents them to you, that you may 
take compassion upon Him. And in case that you 
had been there, and had seen Him clothed in the 
white garment, everyone calling Him insane, you 
would have cried out, saying, ‘ He is no other than 
my Lover ’ ; and if, when He fell at the foot of the 
pillar, weltering in the lake of His Blood, you would 
have stretched out in help your two hands to raise 
Him up when others wished to keep Him down. 
Behave now as you would have done then, just 
as if you had heard the High Priest from the 
Pretorium saying, * Behold the man V you would 
have cried out, ‘ My every good, He is my Spouse, 
my Beloved, my Creator, my Lord and Master! 1 
And when no one desired Him, and when all were 
for exchanging Him for Barabbas, you would have 

12 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




178 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS . 



exclaimed : ‘ I desire Him, I yearn for Him ! Give 
Him to me, for He is mine — my God and all my 
riches !’ Have the same dispositions now. 

Reflect that if in this manner you would have 
acted then, thus truly valuing your bliss, be grateful 
to-day for having approached the Sacred Com- 
munion ; for if then you would have returned thanks 
for having received Him all bruised into your arms, 
oh, render Him greater thanks now for having placed 
Himself in your breast sacramentally. If you would 
have considered it a great favour to have touched 
and fervently adored those wounds, acknowledge 
now that you are still more highly favoured in being 
able to feed upon them. Appreciate the grace that 
instead of that bundle of myrrh resting in your 
arms, you now possess Him in the midst of your 
interior, not only pressing Him to your bosom, but 
within it, and in close union with your heart. In 
this manner approach the Holy Communion, re- 
ceiving the Lord one day in this part of His Pas- 
sion, another day in that — bound, scourged, spat 
upon, crowned, scorned, nailed, dead and buried in 
the new sepulchre of your bosom. 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




FORTY-SECOND MEDITATION. 



On communicating with the freedom of Saint Thomas, who 
touched the side of Christ. 

First Point. — Before Communion. 

Contemplate this Apostle, how from his singu- 
larity he lost the Divine favour, and was cast out 
from all the community ; for he who separates him- 
self from the company of the good usually remains 
alone. In him faith had become tepid, and his 
charity had grown cold ; he passed from tepidity 
into incredulity; for he who does not climb from 
virtue to virtue goes on slipping and being tossed 
from sin into sin. Blinded was Thomas in his soul 
because he saw not the resuscitated Sun in the red 
appearances of His beauteous wounds ; he disbe- 
lieved their presence in His Master’s body, and 
opened them in himself ; he sought comfort for his 
short happiness, and for not having enjoyed the 
Lord’s visit, through his little faith in not believing 
that He was risen. How bad a disposition was 
this for inducing Christ to repeat His favours ! He 
little esteems those wounds who thus renews their 
pains, not remarking that he opens them wider the 
more he denies them. 

12 — 2 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




180 SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS . 

Oh, my soul ! how your tepidity competes with 
that of Thomas ! Would that it did not exceed it ! 
What bad preparation is yours for meriting to-day 
the visit of the Lord! If there He was a risen 
Christ, here He is sacramented ; and while others 
are enjoying the fruits of peace, you remain in the 
war of the spirit. Enkindle your faith, animate 
your hope, and inflame your charity by fervent 
prayer. 

•Second Point. — At the Time of Communion. 

The Lord compassionating the incredulity of 
Thomas, after proving him for eight days in order 
to purify his desires, deigns to favour him in 
company with his brethren, for it mattered little that 
the doors of the Supper Chamber should be closed, 
when those of His wounds were so wide open, and 
His side so gashed. He enters into the midst of 
the Apostles as the Centre where all hearts were to 
rest ; He fixes His eyes on Thomas so as to open 
those of his soul ; He bids him come near, because, 
having been so far from the Divine fire, his spirit 
had become frozen ; and He tells him to bring hither 
his hand, a sign that He had not ceased to hold him 
in His Hand. 1 Put in thy finger into My side, and 
probe it, even until it reaches the Heart, for with its 
fire it will melt the ice of thy tepidity/ Ponder on 
the Redeemer’s great mercy, Who to save souls 
receives His wounds again, and to-day to heal an 
Apostle renews those wounds. To tepid, cold 
Thomas He reveals them, yet to the fervent Mag- 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




FORTY-SECOND MEDITATION. 



181 



dalen He had denied them, gentleness being for the 
weak, and trials for the strong. 

Advert, soul, that you have within this Host the 
same Christ Who was so gloriously wounded. 
Listen to what He is telling you : * Approach to Me, 
receive and touch Me, no longer with thy fingers, 
but with thy lips ; not with thy hands, but with thy 
loving tongue, and in thy enamoured heart. Prove 
thy palate, and taste the savour of these wounds ; 
seal those thirsty lips on the flowing fountain of My 
open side, satisfy the thirst of thy desires in this 
well-spring of consolations.’ Animate your faith, 
and appreciate your happiness, for if Thomas 
attained to put his finger into the side of the Lord, 
here Christ, whole and entire, enters into your 
bosom. Do not lose this occasion ; touch every one 
of His wounds, prizing such advantageous favours. 



Third Point. — After Communion. 

The instant that Thomas touched the loadstone 
flint, Christ made fire flash from the iron of his 
incredulity into his heart and light into his eyes, 
opening those of his body to see His wounds and 
those of his soul to confess His Divinity. On be- 
holding Christ, all wounded for his healing, Thomas 
becomes all tongue and mouth for confessing, crying 
out and exclaiming : * My Lord and my God, I sur- 
render, for Thou hast conquered my heart with Thy 
wounds, and I will proclaim that Thou art my Lord, 
my God, my King, my every good, and all my 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




182 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS . 



delight, my God and all my riches, for in Thee is 
enclosed everything.’ 

Reflect that if Thomas, by touching the wounded 
side of our Lord, remained so full of joy, so changed, 
so fervent, how ardent and how changed should you 
remain when you have received Him, being all 
absorbed in God ! for God in His entirety is in you. 
Confess Him, then, to be your God, your Creator, 
your Redeemer, your beginning, your centre and 
end, your every good, and the only goal of your 
desires. 



Fourth Point. — In Thanksgiving. 

How delighted and how often would Thomas 
return to enjoy those beauteous wounds if it were 
allowed him ! How thirstily would he repeatedly 
come to those perennial fountains of consolation 
and of love ! 

Soul, this singular favour is reserved for you ; 
frequent the Sacred Communion to-day and to- 
morrow and each day, for the Lord is waiting for 
you, to make you as happy as you could desire. 
Thomas remained singularly grateful for so especial 
a mercy, and he who in his incredulity contradicted 
everyone, now confessing faithfully, asks everyone to 
assist him in thanksgiving, as before he asked them 
to help him in believing. He proposes to confess 
Him until death, though he might have to do this 
with as many wounds as those which he had adored. 
Endeavour to be grateful, like Thomas, and even 
more so, having been more favoured, becoming all 



Digitized by 



Google 




FORTY-SECOND MEDITATION. 183 

mouth to praise Him, as you have been, and are, all 
mouth to receive Him, especially since He is a Lord 
Who has opened wide His side and His heart. Open 
your lips, that your heart, all dissolved, may come 
forth through your mouth in applause, and through 
your eyes in tears of tenderness. 



Digitized by Ljooole 




FORTY-THIRD MEDITATION. 



On inviting and receiving our Lord, as a pilgrim, like the two 
disciples of Emmaus. 

First Point. — Before Communion. 

Contemplate these two disciples, who, although 
doubtfully gathered together in the Name of the 
Lord, afterwards had Him standing in their midst, 
for the desire of God to converse with them was the 
allurement which brought Him. They went on 
talking of His Passion, and so they drew into their 
conversation the softest music which the harps of 
heaven could strike. But how badly disposed He 
finds them for receiving His favours, so distant were 
they from Him ! But the Lord in pity approaches 
them, seeking those who wished to fly from Him. 
He beheld them cold in faith, broken down in their 
hopes, tepid in their charity ; but He commences to 
warm their hearts with words of life, fanning their 
want of confidence into a flame, and instilling into 
them a new life. 

Reflect, my soul ! To-day you meet that same 
Lord on the road of your darkened life. If then He 
was as a pilgrim, here He is in a miraculous manner ; 
if there He was disguised in His robes, here under 



Digitized by Ljooole 




FORTY-THIRD MEDITATION . ’ 185 

the Accidents of bread ; if then on the travel, here 
leisurely seated. How spiritless do you proceed in 
the path of virtue ! how tepid in the service of God ! 
Approach, then, to this Lord by prayer, that with 
the strokes of His inspirations He may kindle in 
your breast the fire of devotion. Speak of God the 
day you are with Him. A mouth that is to welcome 
Jesus is not to be occupied with aught else, or to 
speak words which are not godly. The soul that is 
to receive the Divine Word should come with virgin 
palate to taste the bread and wine which engenders 
virgins. 

Second Point. — At the Time of Communion. 

They had arrived close to the fortress of Emmaus, 
the end of their flight, and the Lord made as though 
He would go further, when He desired most to 
remain. He wished that their desires should con- 
strain Him, and their pleadings oblige Him, though 
He Himself had voluntarily drawn near to them, for 
He desires to be implored in the progress of virtue, 
just as a mother compels her infant to walk by 
leaving it alone, that it may lose all fear. On seeing 
Him so human, when He was most Divine, they 
asked Him to remain with them, not inviting Him, 
as the world does, merely for compliment’s sake, 
but with importunity. He answers them that He 
has far to go, for in retiring from a soul He goes far 
indeed, the distance being great from sin to God. 

Arise quickly, my soul ! for the Divine Spouse 
passes to others more fortunate, because more fer- 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




1 86 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS. 



vent ; it is necessary to implore Him, for it is most 
important to detain Him. If these disciples, who 
knew Him not, thus esteemed Him, you who by 
faith know Who He is endeavour to receive Him 
tenderly. They judged Him to be a stranger; you 
know Him to belong to you. Beseech Him to 
enter, not only with you, under your roof, but within 
your very bosom ; invite Him, for in the end it will 
be all at His cost, as He provides the food, you the 
desire ; and thus you will obtain eternal life. 



Third Point. — After Communion. 

The Lord quickly condescended, for His delight 
is to be with the children of men ; they sit at the 
table with Christ in their midst, their joy equalling 
the favour. They place bread in His Hands, and 
rightly, for it was always found in them. Christ 
raised His eyes to Heaven, that it might be leavened 
bread and Divine; and on His breaking it, their 
eyes were opened, and they recognised Him as their 
Master, but in that instant He vanished frpm their 
sight, for in this life He is as a dart of lightning ; 
and in the next He is the eternal Sun, being both 
light and consolation. He left them with honey on 
their lips, and that miraculous Bread as a substitute 
in His absence, leaving them envious at not having 
possessed the joy of knowing Him before, wishing 
that they had enjoyed and adored His glorified 
wounds, and caressed those Divine Feet. Oh, what 
embraces would they have given Him had they but 
known Him ! 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




FORTY-THIRD MEDITATION. 



87 



Remark that this same Lord you have really and 
truly on the table of the Altar, where He breaks 
and divides the Bread of Heaven. Delay not to 
recognise your happiness, for when you bethink 
yourself it may be too late, and you will remain 
mourning that you did not obtain Him before. 
Come near to the Lord, for He will not go from 
you as He did from the disciples, because His love 
has imprisoned Him; enjoy His Divine and cor- 
poral Presence, adore those pierced Feet, kiss those 
glorious, beauteous wounds, for He is expecting you, 
and for you He is waiting. Time and opportunity 
He gives you, that you may contemplate Him, love 
Him and receive Him. 



Fourth Point. — In Thanksgiving. 

The two disciples remained, divided between 
painful and joyful feelings, between the happiness 
of having seen their Master and their grief at losing 
Him so soon. Hardly seen when gone, they weighed 
well and justly the favour He had conferred on them, 
repeating the lessons which He had taught them ; 
their hearts had burned with love when He left 
them, and now they are all tongue in gratitude at 
His return. They went back to reiterate with accu- 
rate words what He had told them, weighing in their 
minds both His penetrating power and His actions, 
and, above all, the celestial sweetness of His 
countenance. For many days would they speak of 
nothing else, and even on that same road would 
they trace their Master’s footprints, following those 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




. 188 SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS. 

of His holy law. They returned to the place where 
the Apostles were, to give them news of their happi- 
ness, and to renew their enjoyment. 

Learn, soul, how to return thanks to your Divine 
Master on the day in which you sit at His Table ; 
open your lips to sound His praises, as well as your 
eyes to know Him ; see whether it was not owing to 
your tepidity that you knew Him not before ; speak 
of nothing else for many days, your tongue ever and 
ever returning to the savour of your joy and the 
delight of your palate. 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




FORTY-FOURTH MEDITATION. 



On receiving, like Magdalen, the Lord as the gardener of 
your soul. 

First Point. — Before Communion. 

Contemplate Magdalen, how anxiously she rises 
early, to seek an eclipsed Sun; love has taken 
possession of her, and gives her no peace ; she is 
beside herself, being absorbed in her beloved Jesus ; 
she is not where she moves, but where she loves. 
She, that most diligent of lovers, quickly leaves her 
bed, for it is hard for her to sleep who cannot even 
live. She finds no repose in any -creature away 
from the centre of her Creator, and lives not, for 
she has parted from her life, though it was not said 
of her, as the world says of others who are dead and 
gone, that their love and affection finished with 
death, even towards those whom they loved so well. 
Hers extended beyond death, for, wounded with 
Divine love, and dead from sorrow to every object 
but her loss, she in her own person enters into the 
sepulchre of her Beloved. 

Ponder what a good preparation this was of 
prayers and vigils, of tears and sighs, for finding a 
Lord Who died of love, and Who lives on acts of 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




igo SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS. 

endearing generosity. Arise early to-day, diligent 
soul, and seek this same Lord Who there proved 
His love for you, by bestowing on you His affec- 
tionate gifts. Do not seek Him beneath the stone 
of a sepulchre, but under a Host ; not between the 
grave-clothes, but in the evidences of life. Weep over 
your errors, and sigh for His favours, and you will 
obtain the reward of your desire. 



Second Point. — At the Time of Communion. 

The Lord, attracted now no longer by the errors 
of a sinner, but by the refined gold of a lover, 
appears to her, repaying with mercies such extreme 
affection. He manifests Himself to her under 
the garb of a gardener because she is a ‘Jesus 
blossom,’ and He claims the right of gathering the 
virtue-fruits from those flowers of desires. He asks 
her why she weeps, and whom does she seek — He 
Who so well knew that He Himself was the object 
of her tears; but He glories in hearing her relate 
her grief. She answers as though the reason were 
something well known, for she believes that all must 
be thinking on the one subject which occupies her 
own thoughts. Nor is she deceived, for what else 
should our thoughts dwell upon except on God ? 
or of what else can we speak but of God ? She says 
not that she seeks a dead man, for even to think of 
it would be to die. ‘ Give Him back to me,’ she 
says, ‘ and do not be astonished that I should be 
fearless, for if my strength fails me, my spirit is 
ever brave ; there is no terror where there is love.’ 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




FORTY-FOURTH MEDITATION . 191 

Yet the Lord delays making Himself known to her, 
that He may listen' to her multiplied desires. 

My soul ! consider that here you have the same 
Lord, the gardener of souls, which He waters with 
His Blood. He is here, disguised under the Acci- 
dents of bread, and listening to your affectionate 
expressions, and if His love conceals Him, let your 
faith discover Him ; and if the Magdalen purposed 
to take Him away wrapped in His winding-sheet, 
do you bear Him away with you in His sacramental 
robe. 

Third Point. — After Communion. 

The Divine Nazarene Gardener, full of joy at 
having seen her water His Feet a second time with 
the streams from her eyes, jewelling the roses of 
His wounds with the pearls formed from so copious 
a flood of tears, manifests Himself to her, calling 
her by her name. He said, 4 Mary,’ and she, like a 
ewe-lamb, but no longer lost, recognised the voice 
of her happily-found Shepherd, Who called her so 
benignly that she was able to comprehend His great 
mercy ; so she fell lovingly at His feet, and if once 
before she had fallen there by the weight of her sins, 
this time it was under the load of her love, drawn 
like an importunate bee, by the fragrance emanating 
from His flowery wounds. But the Lord kept her 
back, saying : 4 Do not come near, do not touch Me, 
for I am not yet ascended to My Father.’ Let 
sorrows remain for thee, reserving for My Father 
the glory — let the thorns be for thee, the fragrant 
roses for Him. 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS. 



192 

Oh, my soul ! comprehend your happiness, and 
endeavour to estimate it truly, for not only does He 
command you not to retire bashfully, but to approach 
lovingly. From Magdalen He conceals His wounds, 
but His wounds are His invitations to you ; not 
only does He invite you to touch, but to feed on 
them. Listen, for He calls you with such lively 
demonstrations of pleasure that His goodness may 
attract you ; and if He withdraws from you His 
grandeur, do not lose the taste of communicating, 
for you will make all eternity envious. Cast your- 
self at His feet, closely press those blossoming 
wounds, and instead of blood there will spring up 
the sweetest honey for you to eat, celestial nectar 
to regale you and nourish you. 



Fourth Point.— In Thanksgiving. 

Magdalen, from being favoured, passes to grati- 
tude, and with her bosom overflowing with joy, she 
runs to tell the Apostles, desiring them to join her 
in returning thanks, and to enjoy equal favours 
with herself, congratulating with them on having 
found not one groat only, but five, and so precious 
that each one was worth a heaven. She would not 
be satisfied with this only, but she invited the 
celestial choirs, with their gifted tongues, to come 
and assist her to swell the Divine praises, meriting 
to hear all her life their grateful songs. 

Consider that if for the favour of once attaining 
to see, though not to touch, those glorious wounds, 
to gaze on them, and not to kiss them, Magdalen 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




FORTY-FOURTH MEDITATION. 



m 



celebrates this happiness all the years of her life, 
and day by day, with the winged choirs, what 
should not you do, my soul — you who not only once, 
but many times, during so many years, and day by 
day, continued to receive the Lord entire, not 
merely kissing His wounds, but feeding on them. 
How often should you repeat each hour, and every 
instant, due thanks ! Employ all your powers in 
choirs, to thank and magnify Him for such singular 
favours, and let your lips overflow in praises of 
these wounds, whose sweetness your heart has 
imbibed. 



1 3 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




FORTY-FIFTH MEDITATION. 

On receiving the Lord as your King, Spouse, Physician, 
Captain, Judge, Pastor and Instructor. 

These seven Meditations which are here put to- 
gether, the Blessed Father Francis Borgia, when a 
priest, used to divide, to serve one for each day of 
the week. You may follow the same practice. And 
before he was ordained Priest he used to communi- 
cate every Sunday, employing the three previous 
days in preparation, and the three following in 
thanksgiving and drawing the fruits of the exercise. 

First Point. — Before Communion. 

When you receive the Lord as a King, meditate 
on the great preparations that you would make if 
you were to receive in your house, as a guest, a kyig 
of this earth. How much more and greater prepara- 
tions should you make for receiving the King of 
Heaven, not only into your house, but into your 
breast ! If you receive Him as the Divine Spouse, 
endeavour to adorn your soul with the splendours of 
grace, and the precious jewels of every virtue ; if as 
a Physician, desire Him with as large desires as 
your needs are large. Let your longings awaken in 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




FORTY-FIFTH MEDITATION. 



195 



you dolours and sufferings, for He has already 
suffered for you, and drunk the bitter, searching 
draught of gall and vinegar to heal you of the grave 
maladies caused by your pleasures. If you receive 
Him as Captain (your whole life being a warfare), 
enlist under His colours, call upon Him to succour 
you, on beholding yourself besieged by such cruel 
enemies. If as Judge, divest your heart of every 
sin which may be a cause of offence to the rectitude 
of His Divine eyes ; if as a Shepherd, call Him 
with the bleatings of sighs, that He may both 
rescue you from the fangs of the infernal wolf, and 
may nourish you on those luxuriant pastures which 
He watered with His very Blood. If you receive 
Him as an Instructor, acknowledge, in the first 
place, your ignorance, beseeching Him, Who is 
Infinite Wisdom, to teach you the great lesson of 
knowing Him, loving Him, and serving Him. Be 
this the preparation for each of these seven Medi- 
tations. 



Second Point. — At the Time of Communion. 

Advert that this Sovereign King is approaching 
the doors of your breast, which are your lips. He 
comes with benignity ; let your soul go out resplen- 
dent to meet Him ; ask Him for mercies, for He 
Who gives you Himself can deny you nothing. He 
arrives, that only Lover of your soul ; run forth to 
receive Him with all your interior powers in the 
midst of desires and affections. The Divine Physi- 
cian ascends, Who is health and medicine, the joy 

13—2 



Digitized by LjOOQle 



196 SA NCTUARY M EDITA TIONS. 

of the sick, for He first suffered your pains ; lay 
them all before Him, one by one, demanding of Him 
the cure of all. He, the valiant Captain, marches 
on into your bosom ; surrender up to Him the 
stronghold of your soul, and do not become obsti- 
nate in your weaknesses. He takes possession of 
you — He, that rigorous Judge; cast yourself at His 
Feet, confessing with humility your deep sinfulness, 
and you will obtain the pardon of them. He comes, 
that Good Shepherd, seeking you ; hear His merciful 
calls ; follow Him with love, and take from His 
hand the Bread of Heaven. He enters in, that 
Divine Master, to sit on the throne of your heart ; 
listen to Him attentively, and be enthusiastic for 
His true doctrine. 

Third Point. — After Communion. 

Obtain the favour which this great Monarch 
confers on you, for He is as desirous of bestowing 
as He is powerful to give. Learn how to ask of Him 
Who is so desirous of giving, for He can, and desires 
to give. Soul, closely embrace and hold your 
enamoured Spouse Who for you opened His side, 
and receive Him into yours. Many wounds have 
you caused Him ; draw from them His affections. 
Call Him your life, for He laid it down through the 
love of you. Apply the remedies which this great 
Physician brings you when from His own flesh and 
blood He makes the medicine. He was bled to 
give you health, and died to give you life. Follow 
your Captain, for in all your battles He ever marches 



Digitized by L.OOC 



FORTY-FIFTH MEDITATION . 



197 



in the front. You will not lack bread, for He gives 
Himself to you in food. Fight bravely, for He 
will receive all the wounds instead of you. Do not 
desert His standard, even until the victory has been 
won. 

Listen, my soul, and incline your ear to so wise 
a Master Who is the Wisdom of the Father, for He 
gives Himself to you in food that you may learn the 
better, just as one gives letters made of sugar to 
a child which is being taught the alphabet that it 
may master them with pleasure. In blood you will 
learn, yet not in your own, but in that of this same 
Master, for He bore the stripes on account of the 
lessons which you had not learned and knew not. 

What quittance do you give so merciful a Judge 
Who willed to be sentenced for your sins ? He Who 
knew not sin, nor was guile found in His mouth, 
bore the punishment of your wickedness. Ask of 
Him mercy, proposing a great amendment. He will 
not confiscate your goods ; nay, on the contrary, in 
order that you may have food to eat, He gives you 
Himself as meat. 

Join the fold of your Good Shepherd Who is at the 
same time your delicious pasture. For you He 
exposed Himself to the ravenous wolves, who feasted 
on His blood, even to the last drop, proving to you 
that He is not a hireling. With His very body He 
nourishes you, and on His shoulders He carries you 
to the sheepfold of His heaven. 



Digitized by Ljooole 




198 



SA NCTUA R Y M EDIT A TIONS. 



Fourth Point. — In Thanksgiving. 

Correspond gratefully to so generous a King, 
perpetuating His mercies by binding yourself to 
serve Him for ever. .Obtain lovingly the favours of 
your Spouse, and endeavour to keep faithful, for it 
is a matter of nothing less than life, and that an 
eternal one. Repay with thankfulness such costly 
remedies, reserving your mouth with all its tastes 
for the proclamation of His praises. Let the 
Leader of Heaven hear the bleatings of your joys as 
you extol Him, and your Captain the applause that 
signalizes His triumph. Let your acclamation re- 
echo up to your wise Master, and let the best 
recommendation of His doctrine be to discourse 
upon it to your own profit. Present to this benign 
Judge your winged heart, as grateful for His mercy 
as you are contrite for your miseries, acknowledging 
that you live by Him, and that it is by His favour 
that you are not made a firebrand of hell, burning 
for all eternity. 



Digitized by Google 



FORTY-SIXTH MEDITATION. 



On receiving the Lord as your Creator, Redeemer, Glorifier, 
and only Benefactor. 

First Point. — Before Communion. 

Consider the reception which a friend meets with 
in the house of one who has received all that he 
possesses from him. How he lays all his riches at his 
feet, for he knows that they all came from his hand, 
considering everything as little compared with the 
much that he owes him. His only regret being that he 
should have received no more, so that he might have 
more with which to serve him ; confessing him to be 
his benefactor, and placing him at the head of all, 
he who had raised him from the dust of the earth. 

Oh, you who communicate, tell me, Who is this 
Lord Whom to-day you receive in your breast ? 
See if it is the One to Whom you owe what you are. 
He drew you out of nothing, for he formed you, and 
for what? to make much of you. Do not receive 
Him as into a stranger’s house, for He built it with 
His own hands ; He gives you life, therefore employ 
it in serving Him ; He gives you a soul, employ it in 
loving Him. Receive Him as your only benefactor, 
open the eyes of faith and you will see in this Host. 



Digitized by Cjooole 




200 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS . 



the Lord Who created you ; place Him in your 
bosom, with many due titles ; take Him into your 
heart, for it is His ; let your understanding know 
Who He is, and you will love an end which is its own 
beginning. Above all, let your heart be confounded 
at having transformed into instruments of offence 
those very things which were the gifts of His 
liberality, and the favours of His infinite beneficence. 

Second Point. — At the Time of Communion. 

It is a little thing to give life to a person, but 
much to give up one’s own life for him — to die that 
he may live ; and even this is little, but it is the 
utmost extremity of love when a benefactor dies for 
the person who kills him, redeems the one who sold 
him, and rescues him who betrayed him. Was ever 
such exceeding love seen ? It could be found only 
in an enamoured God. 

O man ! He died for you, who have so much 
offended Him — a Lord for a vile slave of Satan ! 
Behold, to what extremes does this love reach — 
God, and to die ! Life and death, and this, more- 
over, for you, a despicable worm ! He allowed 
Himself to be wronged, that you might be honoured; 
He was spat upon, that you might be washed clean ; 
He was reputed as a thief, He who gave Paradise to 
thieves, and who gives Himself to you in this Sacra- 
ment. He wished to part with everything, that He 
might win you — possession, life, honour, even to 
dying naked on a stake. He, this Divine lover of 
your soul, might well have sought other means for 
your remedy, but He chose the most costly to prove 
to you His surpassing love. He did not wish it ever 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




FORTY-SIXTH MEDITATION. 



201 



to be said of His affection that it might have been 
greater, that He might have done more. He saw 
Himself forsaken of His Father, that He might not 
abandon an ungrateful wretch of whom He had 
become enamoured. Receive Him, then, in this 
day’s Communion, as the Redeemer of your soul, as 
the Saviour of your life, offer Him all that you have 
— possessions, honour, and life — to Him Who first 
gave them to you. Welcome into your heart Him' 
Who gashed open His side to place you inside. Fill 
your mouth with the precious Blood of Him Who in 
His great thirst could not obtain a single drop of 
water to quench it. Sweeten your lips with the 
Blood of Him Whose mouth was embittered with 
gall, for the Lord omitted not one single thing which 
He could do for you. Do not you, then, leave a 
single thing undone in His holy service. 

Third Point. — After Communion. 

Receive Him now as your eternal Glorifier, which 
will be to put the seal on His mercies, and to crown 
you with clemency. A great favour it was to have 
created you out of nothing, greater still to redeem 
you with all that He possessed ; to have made you a 
Christian and a Catholic, while others are unbelievers 
who would have served Him better, had they but 
known Him; to have borne with you, so great a sinner 
as you are ; to have justified you, and nourished you 
with His Body and Blood. Great indeed were all 
these favours, well worthy of every gratitude and 
acknowledgment ; but what crowns all these is, to 
have predestined you for His glory as you believe, 
and that He will actually glorify you as you hope. 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




202 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS . 



Receive Him, then, as your last end, for He is your 
Alpha and Omega. He is the termination of your 
pilgrimage, the repose of your labours, the port of 
your salvation, and the centre of your felicity. 
Animate your faith, for the same One Whom you 
are to see in heaven, that very same Lord you really 
and truly possess enclosed in your breast as a pledge 
of His glory. 

Fourth Point. — In Thanksgiving. 

This divinest of Sacraments is styled ‘ Eucharist/ 
which means * good grace/ because, since that is 
infinite grace which the Lord bestows on us, it 
solicits perpetual gratitude from the soul that com- 
municates, and the only return for receiving Him 
once is to receive Him again. This is the greatest 
act of thanksgiving; nor is there any other means 
of repaying so many mercies, except to receive and 
communicate worthily, chalice for chalice, dis- 
charging your vows to the Lord by open praises, 
and before all His people. Nothing else then 
remains but a precious death in the Lord, after 
having received Him, since the best manner of 
returning thanks for a great gift of God is to receive 
another. You are submerged in benefits, therefore 
inundate yourself in His precious Blood, and you 
will return thanks as you should if you love Him, 
in proportion as you appreciate His value. In this 
way you may communicate various times, receiving 
the Lord one day as your Creator, and another as 
your Redeemer — if to-day as a Justifier, to-morrow 
as your Glorifier. 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




FORTY-SEVENTH MEDITATION. 

For communicating on all the festivals of the Lord. 

First Point. — Before Communion. 

Ponder on the great happiness you would have 
experienced had you been present with the faith 
which you now possess at the mystery on which 
you may select for meditation. With what devotion 
would you have prepared yourself, and with what 
joy assisted ! Reflect that had the Angel awakened 
you on that joyous night of His birth, how quickly 
would you have arisen, with what love have wished 
to enjoy the new-born Child-God ! How you would 
have availed yourself of the opportunity of seeing 
and contemplating Him wrapped in swaddling 
clothes, lying on straw — Him Who is not contained 
in the heaven of heavens, Whose throne is on the 
wings of the cherubim — Him weeping, Who is the 
joy of the Angels ! And on the day of His circum- 
cision, how you would have mingled your tears with 
the drops of His Blood ! With what consolation 
would you have gazed on that glimpse of heaven 
on Thabor! How early would you have risen on 
the morning of His resurrection, in company with 
the virginal, jewelled aurora, to see that glorious 



Digitized by kjOOQle 




204 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS . 



Sun arise in the midst of the joyful refulgence of 
His wounds ! With what devotional purity would 
you have robed yourself to climb the mountain on 
the day of the Lord’s triumphant ascension ! how 
your heart would have followed Him to the centre 
of the heavens! What gladness you would have 
enjoyed on all these occasions, and how fervently 
you would have assisted at all these mysteries. 
Arouse your faith, and understand that the identical 
Lord Whom then you would really and truly have 
seen and enjoyed is the same Person Whom you 
have here in this divinest of Sacraments. If then 
He was in a manger, now He is on an altar ; if 
there He was wrapped in swaddling clothes, here 
He lies enveloped in the sacred Accidents ; if then 
He was as grain amongst straw, here you receive 
and feed upon Him sacramented. If on Thabor 
you would have beheld Him arrayed in garments 
of snow, here you see Him vested in whiteness ; if 
in the Ascension He was mantled with a cloud, 
here He is concealed in a Host. Endeavour to 
dispose yourself with equal devotion, for the reality 
is the same ; enkindle your faith, and your love will 
be awakened ; increase your fervour, so that it shall 
be not less than your bliss. 

Second Point. — At the Time of Communion. 

Ponder with what joyous tenderness would you 
have entered those gates of Bethlehem, so devoid 
of ornament, yet so full of consolation. With what 
loving reverence would you have approached that 
manger, and how, being moved to tenderness on 



Digitized by Cjooole 




FORTY-SEVENTH MEDITATION. 



205 



seeing a God made man, you would have ministered 
to Him with attention. With what affection you 
would have availed yourself of the favour, and not 
satisfied with merely gazing upon Him, you would 
have approached, full of pitiful love, to touch and 
embrace that sweet, tender Infant ! Animate your 
faith, enliven your tepid confidence, and approach 
to-day, if not to the crib, to the altar. Be not 
satisfied with kissing and embracing Him, but come 
and eagerly feast upon Him ; wrap Him in the folds 
of your heart, and press Him within your own 
breast. And if in the circumcision you saw Him 
shedding pearls of tears and rubies of blood, the 
precious ransom of your soul, how you would have 
compassionated Him ! Doubtless but your heart, 
exceeding the diamond in hardness, would have 
been melted and broken with the Blood of that 
wounded Lamb, even to being dissolved through 
your eyes into tears. Collect to-day not a few drops 
of His Blood as then, but all of it, into your heart ; 
and if then you would have hushed His cries by 
straining Him to your bosom, to-day place Him 
within it. If on Thabor you would have fainted 
away at seeing the Sun of Beauty, although you 
would then have only gazed upon Him from afar, 
make now your bosom into a Thabor, and your 
heart into a tabernacle, exclaiming with Saint Peter : 
‘ Lord, it is good for us to be here, Thou in me, 
and I in Thee.’ Here you have Him risen from 
the dead. Approach, in company with the Virgin 
Mother, to enjoy the fragrant roses of His wounds, 
recognising in those gashes of His flesh the brilliant 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




206 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS. 



evidences of the Divinity. Not only does He per- 
mit you to touch and adore Him, but He allows 
you to introduce Him into your bosom. Detain 
Him then, all glorious as He was when He ascended 
to heaven, and conduct Him to your heart, for He 
will not retire from you as He departed then, but 
He will enter triumphantly into your interior. Be 
your bosom a heaven, awaken your faith, and you 
will reaew the fruition of all these mysteries, for 
when you communicate you possess here really and 
truly the same Lord that you would have enjoyed 
and seen on all those occasions. 



Third Point. — After Communion. 

Endeavour to draw from this communion all the 
profit which you would have derived had you been 
present at each of the mysteries which are being 
celebrated, for you have here now the same Lord, 
real and entire, as you would have had then ; ask of 
Him the same favours, learn how to ask from One 
Who knows also how to give. What recollections 
would be yours of having seen and enjoyed your 
God and Lord in each of these mysteries ! Let 
your joy to-day, then, be the same, for your bliss is 
equal, and what there you would have done in re- 
counting what you had witnessed do to-day in 
giving thanks, for you are not enjoined to silence, as 
were the Apostles on Thabor, but rather to call 
forth your devotion by celebrating the Divine 
praises. ‘ What shall I render to the Lord/ said 
the Prophet King, * in return for so many mercies ?’ 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




FORTY-SEVENTH MEDITATION. 



207 



Chalice for chalice — let this Communion be a 
thanksgiving for the last, as the last was a prepara- 
tion for this. Who could have been found strong 
enough to draw you away from within the gates 
when once you had entered in with the shepherds ? 
Who could have brought you down from the mount 
with the disciples? Who could have taken you 
with the Maries away from the sepulchre ? Here 
you have all this on the Altar, and nearer, even in 
your very bosom. Calm yourself in meditation, 
and continue praising and glorifying the Lord. 
Amen. 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




FORTY-EIGHTH MEDITATION. 

For communicating on all the festivals of the Saints. 

First Point. — Before Communion. 

It would be an easy task, but too prolix, to arrange 
a special meditation for communicating on the 
Feast of each Saint. Each person, however, can 
choose any one of the proposed considerations which 
may best suit the day and the life of the particular 
Saint who is then commemorated. But should any 
soul feel that he could communicate with more 
devotion by meditating on some consideration more 
adapted to the Feast, he may select some passage or 
circumstance of the Saint’s life which he may apply 
to the Holy Communion, arranging it in the form of 
a meditation in the following manner: Consider 
some especial favour which the Lord granted the 
Saint — for instance, if you communicate on the 
Feast of St. James the Great, reflect how Christ 
took him up with Him to Thabor and revealed to 
him His glory. Consider how much greater is 
the favour which the Saviour grants to you, for He 
not only allows you to stand by His side, but He 
enters into your breast ; endeavour then, in imitation 
of Him, to dispose yourself by singular vintues for 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




FORTY-EIGHTH MEDITATION . 



209 



obtaining equally singular favours. St. Matthew 
He called to follow Him, entering into his house 
and allowing him to invite Him. To-day that same 
Lord calls you, entering into your bosom, and 
inviting you with His beauteous body. Of St. 
Philip He demanded whence should they find the 
bread to feed the five thousand guests ; to you He 
offers no difficulty, but bestows upon you the Bread 
from Heaven. How great was the delight of 
St. Andrew when he saw the Lord, and heard the 
Baptist say, * Behold the Lamb of God !’ following 
Him at once, and asking where He lived. Listen 
and hear the priest telling you the same when you 
approach to eat that same Lamb of God. Be joyful on 
account of your felicity on the Feast of St. Matthias, 
and prepare yourself as a vessel of election on the day 
of the Apostle St. Paul, for you are to bear on your 
breast not only the Name of the Lord but His Body. 
Endeavour, then, to dispose yourself like these just 
men who received the favours of the Lord, whilst 
you, more favoured still, receive the Lord Himself, 
the Fountain of all mercy. 

Second Point. — At the Time of Communion. 

Consider how greatly all these Saints appreciated 
the mercies of the Lord, and how well they profited 
by them ; comprehend the singular favour which He 
does you to-day ; learn how to enjoy and thank Him, 
casting yourself into the furnace of love like a 
Lawrende ; for if he so prepared his body for God’s 
Table, the Lord to-day prepares His own body to be 

14 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




210 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS . 



your food at the fire of His love. If Ignatius con- 
sidered himself as wheat ground by the teeth of wild 
beasts to be made into bread, white and pure, the 
Lord gives Himself to you also as Bread, ground by 
His Passion, and prepared by His love. If St. Bar- 
tholomew served up his flayed body at an eternal 
banquet, the Lord presents to you His Body as 
meat. If James was nearly related to Christ and 
very like Him, you also are related to the Lord, for 
you are nourished with His Body and Blood. 
Endeavour, then, to be like Him in everything, and 
even to be one and the same thing with Him. If 
St. Joseph was the one most amply favoured, and 
whose bliss was the greatest, for he so often carried 
in his arms the Infant-God, do you, who take Him 
into your mouth and keep Him within your breast, 
grow in perfection as well as in favour. To St. 
Luke it was permitted to take a copy of God ; to 
you is given the original itself. Imprint Him, then, 
on the tissues of your heart. 

Third Point. — After Communion. 

All these Saints rendered extraordinary thanks 
for such singular favours. Stephen cried out when 
he saw the heavens opened, and Christ standing 
clearly before him in the balconies of heaven ; do 
you also break out in praises on beholding Him 
within your breast. Laud Him with St. Theresa, 
for He has been espoused to your soul, and has 
adorned it with the precious jewels of virtue. If to 
Catherine He gave the ring of gold, to you He gives 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




FORTY-EIGHTH MEDITATION . 



21 1 



the pledge of love. Be filled with admiration, as 
was St. Augustine, that the immense ocean of God 
should be contained within the small circle of your 
bosom. Magnify Him with St. Ignatius, that not 
only in Rome, but in every spot, He may be favour- 
able and propitious to you. He Who imprinted on 
St. Francis the stigmata of His Wounds, and dis- 
played to St Bernard His open side, to-day gives 
Himself up entirely to you, imprinting Himself on 
your heart. Study, then, to appreciate your favour, 
and you will learn how to esteem it ; endeavour to 
profit by it, and thank Him for all eternity of ages. 
Amen. 



14—2 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




FORTY-NINTH MEDITATION. 

Recapitulation of many other Meditations. 

Following the plan of the Meditations which have 
been proposed in this book, you may draw out many 
others for yourself, which, being the fruit of your 
own thoughts, and having cost you labour, will be 
more calculated to awaken in you greater devotion. 
Here is an example : 

First Point.— Before Communion. 

Consider the longings with which a child desires 
its mother’s breast, and what efforts it makes to 
reach it ; being impelled by hunger and drawn by 
love, it cries aloud, making every endeavour until it 
obtains it. With the same desire are you to ap- 
proach the Communion. Pantingly desire the 
fountains of living waters like the thirsty traveller ; 
search for the ripe grain like the diligent ant, and 
watch like the whelps for the crumbs that fall from 
their master’s table. In this way should you pre- 
pare yourself with tears and sighs, with desires and 
works, with prayers and mortifications, for the sacred 
Communion ; for the greater and more intense are 



Digitized by LjOOQle 



FORTY-NINTH MEDITATION . 



213 



the desires with which you approach, so much richer 
will be the fruits you will gather. 

Second Point. — At the Time of Communion. 

Reflect on the avidity with which the little lamb 
runs to its mother. Come to the Holy Communion 
with an equal eagerness, as your necessities are 
great, and with as much delight as knowledge. 
With the quickness of the chicken that takes the 
grain from the beak of its loving mother who calls 
it, do you run, nestling afterwards under the wings 
of the arms of Christ, ever extended on the Cross. 
Rush with the eagerness with which the thirsty, sick 
man takes the cup of cooling beverage. Approach 
with the consolation felt by the frozen traveller as 
he comes near the fire which is to warm him; enjoy, 
taste, eat, and be delighted with this Bread of Heaven, 
joining delight with possession, experiencing celestial 
joys, and deriving a multiplied profit. 

Third Point. — After Communion. 

Render thanks to this Lord Who has nourished 
you with His Body and Blood. Salute Him many 
times, as the shipwrecked voyager salutes the land 
where he has found a harbour. Receive Him with 
acts of thanksgiving, as the poor beggar welcomes 
the piece of bread which is given him every day 
from the rich man’s table, and for which he returns 
his blessings. Prostrate yourself as a ransomed 
captive at the feet of your only Redeemer. Receive 
the Lord as your father, brother, friendly mediator, 



Digitized by 



Google 




214 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS. 



surety, sponsor, protector, guardian, as the sun which 
enlightens you, as the port which takes you in, as 
the asylum where you are sheltered, the centre of 
your rest, the beginning of all your riches, the nucleus 
of your happiness, and the end of your desires for 
all eternity. Amen. 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




FIFTIETH MEDITATION. 



On receiving rhe Most Holy Sacrament as the Viaticum. 

First Point. — Before Communion. 

Consider yourself, my brother, as leaving this 
mortal life for the eternal one, and take heed that 
for so long a journey an abundant provision in every 
way is necessary, especially of the Bread of life, for 
passing through your approaching death. From 
this world you will go into the next, from this bed to 
the tribunal of God. Consider, then, how you are 
to prepare yourself — by a good and entire confession 
and a fervent Holy Communion. ‘ Arise and eat,’ as 
the Angel said to the prophet Elias, ‘ for thou hast a 
long journey to make.’ Listen to the same words 
spoken to you by the Angel of a good confessor, who 
undeceives you as to your danger. My brother, 
raise your heart to God, from creatures to the 
Creator, from earth to heaven, from earthly things 
to heavenly ones, for you know not whether you 
will ever rise from this bed. Eat well, for a long, 
dangerous journey awaits you ; know that you will 
tread through paths never before walked, through 
regions never before seen by you. Endeavour, then, 
to make this Communion with all the circumstances 



Digitized by L.ooQle 




216 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS. 



which would belong to your viaticum, with as much 
perfection as though it were to be your last, bestow- 
ing upon it the whole of your devotion. Remember 
that you are bidding adieu to Communion ; let your 
love for this divinest Sacrament be manifested by 
the tenderness with which you receive it on this, for 
you, the last time. Fix on this white, pure mark 
those eyes which so soon are to be closed, never 
more to see in this mortal life. Let them to-day be 
overflowing fountains of tears ; those eyes which to- 
morrow are to be dried up, and that mouth which is 
so soon to be shut, never more to be opened, open 
it wide to-day, dilating it well, that it may be filled 
with the sweetness of this delicious food. Notice 
that it is hidden manna, and will sweeten the bitter 
draught of death which step by step is threatening 
you. Let that tongue give loud cries, asking for 
pardon, ere it be for ever stiffened to your palate ; 
that throat which is growing hoarse, let it break 
forth in sighs of sorrow ; that heart, so soon to be 
made the food of worms, let it be nourished with the 
Body of Christ ; that whole interior, which moment 
by moment is losing the breath of life, let it be com- 
forted with this preparation for immortality. And 
as your whole self, my brother, is so soon to return 
into dust and ashes, endeavour to be so transformed 
into this sacramental Lord that in this manner He 
may remain in you and you in Him for an eternity 
of glory. 



Digitized by Cjooole 




FIFTIETH MEDITATION, 



21 7 



Second Point.— At the Time of Communion. 

Arouse your faith, my brother, and consider that 
in this Host you receive that same Lord Who within 
a few hours will be your Judge ; He comes now to 
you, and you later on will go to Him. This is He 
Who will take a strict account of all your life ; from 
this bed you will be taken before His strict tribunal, 
but remark that now He invites you with His 
pardon. If He will terrify you then with the 
dreaded chastisement, here He allows Himself to 
be appeased with gifts. Present Him, then, with 
your contrite heart, filled with the sorrow of having 
offended Him; here He is conquered with tears; 
there no cries will avail. Cast yourself before this 
tribunal of His mercy, and do not await that of His 
justice. * Eucharist/ it is called, which means ‘grace 
and pardon.’ Do not delay until the hour of His 
rigour. Here He is made so meek a Lamb that you 
eagerly feed upon Him ; there He will be a Lion so 
fierce that He will tear you to pieces should He find 
you guilty. Here He is silent, and overlooks faults ; 
there He will cry out with a loud voice fulminating 
severities. Throw yourself at His feet in time, for 
whilst we have time, says the Apostle, we are to 
work well the affair of our eternal salvation. Ex- 
claim with the penitent King, ‘ Lord, great pardon 
do Thou grant me, according to Thy great mercy, 
and according to the great multitude of my sins ’ 
(‘ Miserere mei Deus secundum magnum misericor- 
diam Tuam ’). Strike your breast with the publican, 
saying, * My Lord and my God, be propitious and 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




2l8 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS . 



favourable to me, a miserable sinner ’ (‘ Domine 
propitius esto mihi peccatori ’). Cry out with the 
blind man of Jericho, ‘ My Lord, that I may see 
Thine ever benign countenance, which the Angels 
desire to behold ’ (‘ Domine ut videam ’). Confess 
your errors with the prodigal, ‘ My Father, Thou 
canst not deny me to be Thy son ; I have sinned, I 
confess it, against Heaven and before Thee.* (‘ Pater 
peccavi in coelum et coram te.’) ‘ Receive me into 

Thy house ; let there be a corner in heaven for me.’ 
Give loud cries, with the woman of Canaan, * Jesus, 
Son of David/ though you may more justly say, 
‘ Jesus, Son of Mary, the Mother of Mercy, take com- 
passion on this my soul, for the devil would ill-treat 
it’ OJesu fili Mariae misere mei quia anima mea 
male k demonio vexatur ’). Ah, Lord ! take pity, 
for he would devour it. Entreat and pray with the 
thief, * Lord, remember me, who am also a thief — a 
thief of Thy mercies, now that Thou art in Thy 
Kingdom ’ (‘ Domine memento mei cum veneris in 
Regnum Tuum’). Lord, make me joyful with 
that sweetest of answers : * Hodie/ this very day ; 
* mecum,’ with Me ; ‘ eris,’ thou thyself shalt be ; 
4 in paradiso,’ in My glory. Amen. 

Third Point. — After Communion. 

Now that you have received this Divine Lord 
sacramentally, placing Him within your breast, 
exclaim, my brother, with the holy old man, Simeon, 
‘ Nunc dimittis servum Tuum Domine secundum ver- 
bum Tuum in pace’ (‘ Now indeed, my Lord, I shall 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




FIFTIETH MEDITATION. 219 

die full of consolation, for I am in peace with Thee).* 
Say with the prophet-king, * In pace in idipsum dor- 
miam et requiescam ’ (‘ Lord, now I will sleep and 
rest in peace and in Thyself’). ‘From Thee in the 
Sacrament I shall go to Thee in Thy glory ; from 
a God, received in my bosom, to a God Who will 
receive me in His heaven; and since here I have 
attained to being united to Thee in Holy Com- 
munion, there I hope to be united with Thee in Thy 
celestial bliss.’ Repeat with St. Paul, * Mihi vivere 
Christus est, et mori lucrum ’ (* My death is my 
gain, for in dying in Christ, I live to Christ ’). Offer 
Him your soul with St. Stephen : * Domine Jesu 
accipe spiritum meum ’ (‘ Sweetest Jesus, and espe- 
cially in this hour, Jesus and my Saviour, receive my 
spirit’). Say, also, with the same Jesus, ‘ Pater in 
manus Tuas commendo spiritum meum ’ (‘ My Father 
and most beloved, into Thy hands I commend my 
spirit ; from them it came, and into them it must 
return’). Listen to what He answers you: ‘Noli 
timere ego Protector tuus sum et merces tua magna 
nimis ’ (‘ Fear not, for I am thy Protector and thy 
Refuge, and the mercies which thou wilt receive 
from My hands will be great in every way’). * Do not 
fear on account of thy sins, for My mercies are 
manifold ; ask and these shall be given to you, 
namely, pardon, grace, and eternal glory.’ 

Fourth Point. — In Thanksgiving. 

After receiving so many favours, you may well 
render due thanks, and, like the dying swan which 



Digitized by CjOOQle 




220 



SANCTUARY MEDITATIONS . 



then sings the most sweetly, sing to-day a new song, 
commencing it here, and continuing it eternally 
above in heaven. * Misericordias Domine in eternum 
cantabo ’ (‘For ever will I praise and bless so good 
a God*). If you can no longer do so with the tongue, 
speak with the heart. If your lips cannot move, 
move your wings of desire and your heart. Appre- 
ciate truly the favour which the King of Heaven 
grants, He Who has come to visit you here, that you 
may go to Him there. A pledge this is of His glory, 
for He has pledged Himself to come and bid you 
farewell sacramentally as a proof of His love for you, 
and that He will receive you in glory. He comes to 
your house that you may enter His heaven. Cry out 
with the Holy King : ‘ Laetatus sum in his, quae dicta 
sunt mihi, in domum Domine ibimus ’ (‘ Oh, what 
good tidings have I had given me that to-day I am 
to go into the house of my Lord’). Conclude with 
the joyous words with which the humble St. Francis 
expired : ‘ Oh, how they are awaiting me, those atten- 
dants of the court of heaven, to admit me into their 
sweet company. I shall not go alone, but we shall 
go together, my soul being accompanied by the most 
Holy Virgin, my Mother and my Lady, by the Saint 
of my name, by my angel guardian, all my patron 
Saints, and my advocates/ Should you still be in 
your agohy, place yourself before Christ crucified 
and compare yourself with Him, consoling yourself 
with Him. Consider that to your Lord in His 
greatest agony were given gall and vinegar, and in 
yours that same Lord has given you His own flesh 
and blood. He died in the arms of a hard cross, 



Digitized by L-ooQle 




FIFTIETH MEDITATION. 



221 



and you expire in the arms of this same Lord ever 
extended for you. As for Christ, they opened His 
side with a cruel spear, and He has sealed your heart 
with the most Sacred Host. He inclines His head 
and displays His wounded side, saying : ‘ Enter by 
this door, which is ever open, into Paradise, there 
to praise, contemplate, see, love and enjoy your God 
and your Lord for all endless ages.’ Amen. 

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus and Mary be with me, nowand 
for ever. 

AMEN. 

Laus Deo Semper! 



THE END. 



R. & T. WASHBOURNE, 1 8 PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON. 



Digitized by LjOOQle 




Digitized by 




Digitized by 




RETURN TO: CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT 

198 Main Stacks 



LOAN PERIOD 1 
Home Use 




ALL BOOKS MAY BE RECALLED AFTER 7 DAYS. 

Renewals and Recharges may be made 4 days prior to the due date. 
Books may be renewed by calling 642-3405. 



DUE AS STAMPED BELOW. 



AUG 0 4 2005 




FORM NO. DD6 
50M 1-05 



UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY 
Berkeley, California 94720-6000 



Digitized by Google 











U.C. BERKELEY LIBRARIES 




C00M3A5blb 




Digitized by LjOOQle